Karnataka Expands Kartavya App to Track Doctors After 9 PM, Monitor Staff

The Karnataka government has introduced a geofencing-based night-time attendance system for government doctors, requiring them to mark their presence through the Kartavya mobile application after 9 pm while remaining within the geographical limits of their designated headquarters. The initiative, scheduled to begin on November 1, 2026, aims to strengthen administrative accountability, ensure local availability of government personnel and improve public service delivery, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas.

The system will initially be implemented on a pilot basis for doctors working in taluk hospitals and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) under the Health and Family Welfare Department. The decision follows proceedings by the Upa Lokayukta, which highlighted concerns that several government employees were managing administrative work from distant locations instead of residing at their designated headquarters, causing delays and inconvenience to the public.

Under the new rules, doctors must record attendance through the Kartavya app while remaining within the prescribed geographical limits of their designated town, city or village. Employees on sanctioned leave, those performing authorised official duties outside their headquarters and those with prior permission to leave will be exempt, provided they record the reasons in the application. Commissioners and District Health Officers will review attendance reports monthly, and unauthorised absence may invite disciplinary action under applicable civil service rules.

The initiative builds on Karnataka's wider adoption of digital attendance technology. The Kartavya application, also known as KAAMS, was developed by the state's Centre for e-Governance. Reports indicate that the broader platform incorporates Aadhaar-based identity verification, AI-powered facial recognition and geofencing to reduce proxy attendance and improve workforce monitoring. The precise geographical radius applicable to the doctors' night-time pilot has not been publicly established.

In a separate circular, the government has extended mandatory Kartavya attendance to contractual and outsourced employees across departments, boards, corporations, authorities and government-aided institutions. Registration must be completed by November 25, 2026, with exclusive app-based attendance beginning December 1. From January 1, 2027, contractual salaries and outsourcing agency bills will be processed based on app-generated attendance reports, with Drawing and Disbursing Officers instructed to withhold payments where attendance is unrecorded.

The government plans to consider extending night-time monitoring to other departments based on the pilot's results. While the system could improve accountability, its effectiveness will depend on fair exemption procedures and whether digital monitoring translates into better public services. Location verification alone does not establish actual medical availability, which also depends on staffing arrangements and duty rosters.