Vigilance Depends On Whistleblowers & ‘Mo Sarkar’ Data For Drive Against Corruption In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The data from whistleblowers and ‘Mo Sarkar’ have helped the Vigilance track corruption in the government offices, said YK Jethwa, director, Odisha Vigilance.

Speaking about the strategy of the Vigilance during an interaction with the media on Wednesday, Jethwa said a considerable amount of Vigilance work is based on feedback.

Stating that the Vigilance primarily taps two types of feedback, he said one is pre-bribery feedback and the other post-bribery information. “Pre-bribery feedback is helping us trap those who are demanding and accepting bribe while the transaction is taking place. For this, we rely on whistleblowers, aggrieved persons and our sources in
various departments, institutions and offices across the state,” he added.

He further said for the post-bribery feedback, they mostly tap the massive data generated by the ‘Mo Sarkar’ system that is collecting random feedback on bribery, from community members who visit government offices for various services.

This feedback helps the Vigilance target the disproportionate assets generated through corruption and identifying the hotspots in terms of individuals and institutions. As a result, they can focus on specific targets, Jethwa said.

Asserting that the Vigilance would intensify its actions against corruption in coming days, he said the officials of the department would also use digital data and footprints
generated in financial transactions and activities of individuals.

The Vigilance has registered 31 cases including 23 government servants under the PC (Amendment) Act, 2018 so far in 2022.