Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday administered ‘Integrity Pledge’ to the government officers of Odisha on the occasion of Vigilance Awareness Week.
Attending a state-level function on virtual mode in Bhubaneswar, the Chief Minister said, “I am delighted to know that in the area of detection and registration of disproportionate assets cases, Odisha Vigilance has ranked number 1 in the country as per the latest NCRB data.” The theme of this year’s programme is “Corruption free India for a developed Nation”.
He said Odisha Vigilance is among the top performing anti-corruption agencies in the country in all major parameters like registration and disposal of corruption cases and conviction of corrupt public servants, as revealed by the latest statistics in Crime in India-2021 published by the National Crime Record Bureau.
In the last 12 months, Odisha Vigilance has created new records with seizure of highest amount of cash in a trap case, highest amount of cash during a house search and unearthing the highest amount of Disproportionate Assets. “I urge upon Vigilance Department to take Odisha Vigilance to the next level by bringing in technological up-gradation and expanding its multi-disciplinary character by roping in more professionals. Odisha Vigilance must take leverage of best practices and technologies available in the field of anti-corruption to enhance the capacity and effectiveness of Vigilance organization,” he said.
Stating that his government has adopted a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to corruption, he said they aim at ensuring basic public services to the people at the grassroots level in a fair and transparent manner. “Transparency is a critical factor of the 5T initiatives undertaken by our government with a view to achieve transformational goals in governance and ensure better delivery of public goods and services to the people in a hassle-free manner, he said.
Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said with 5T and MO Sarkar in place, most of the services are now offered online. People need not come to government offices. This visionary initiative has improved transparency, he added.
Awards were also given to best performing officers and prosecutors on the occasion. Bhubaneswar vigilance received the Best Vigilance Division Award. Development Commissioner PK Jena, DGP SK Bansal, 5T Secretary VK Pandian, Director of Vigilance Jaswant Jethwa and ADG Vigilance Asit Panigrahi were present.
