Betul: Following the launch of a State government application to track doctors’ locations, around 170 bonded doctors from 48 districts in Madhya Pradesh were found marking fake attendance on the Sarthak app despite not reporting for duty at their hospitals. Of these, five doctors from Betul district were found to have marked their attendance while they were actually 150–200 kilometres away. This came to light during an investigation by the Directorate of Health.Following this, Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr Manoj Kumar Hurmade formed a three-member committee, including the District Health Officer and senior doctors, to look into the issue. The committee has been directed to submit its report within seven days.Also read- Fake fingerprints for Biometric Attendance: NO data on defaulter medical colleges, 1 found guilty- NMC in RTI responseAccording to the CMHO, the doctors allegedly used camera tricks and edited photos to show that they were present at the hospital, while their GPS data showed they were far from their place of duty. Dr Hurmade said that “Fake attendance on the app is a serious disciplinary offence. Strict action will be taken against the doctors found guilty after the investigation report is received.”However, several employees have termed the system impractical, saying poor network connectivity in rural areas makes it difficult to mark attendance through the app. The health department, however, said technical issues cannot be used as an excuse for fraud.What is Sarthak App?The Sarthak app is a mobile-based employee management system for the Madhya Pradesh (MP) government in India, primarily used for GPS-enabled, face-recognised attendance tracking, managing work activities, tours, and profiles for various government departments like Health, Education, and Revenue. It ensures transparent and accurate workforce monitoring by allowing employees to check in/out with real-time photos and location verification, syncing data offline if needed.As per Dainik Bhaskar media report, the app was first launched as a trial in October 2025 and made mandatory across Madhya Pradesh from January 8, 2026. This is to check whether employees are actually present at work or not, to prevent fake attendance, to know whether the work of government schemes is being implemented on the ground, and to bring transparency into the system.Employees are required to install the app on their mobile phone. Between 9 AM and 11:30 AM, attendance has to be marked with an eye (retina) scan and GPS location. Attendance has to be marked again after about 5 hours. If both attendances are not marked, half of that day’s salary may be deducted, or it is considered ‘no work-no pay’.Also read- TN Govt Doctors Oppose Implementation of Facial Recognition-based Attendance System