ASO Jobs Sold For Rs 30 Lakh During BJD Rule, Says Odisha CM

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday said the previous BJD government was playing with future of students and youths as jobs were sold for lakhs of rupees.

Presenting the Odisha Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill 2024 in the Assembly, the chief minister came down heavily on the previous regime for irregularities in selection process for government jobs.

Stating that corruption was rampant during the BJD rule, Majhi said it had gone upto the Secretariat as Assistant Section Officer (ASO) jobs were sold for Rs 25 to 30 lakh each. “The corruption by government officers not only put the future of the youths at stake but also frustrated the sincere and bright students aspiring for jobs. While they toiled hard for selection and their families spent huge amount of money towards their preparation, their attempts were spoiled by the corrupt regime,” he said.

Majhi further said the corruption racket of the government officials was exposed in the junior engineer examinations held in 2023 when the question papers were leaked by them.

He assured the House that such practice would not be tolerated any more. “My government follows the principle of zero tolerance towards corruption. We believe in transparency and honesty in every sphere of government’s functions,” he said.

In a warning to corrupt officials, he said they should shun the practice or face consequences. In order to root out corruption in the government works, the Bill was necessary. As per its provisions, those found involved in corruption during recruitment process would face imprisonment, he said.