Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Monday asked vigilance department officials to take the anti-corruption wing to next level by bringing in technological up-gradation and expanding its multi-disciplinary character by roping in more professionals.
Joining the state level function on the occasion of Vigilance Awareness Week on virtual platform, Patnaik said that these are days of ever changing technological and professional advancements in every field.
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 organisation, he said.
Patnaik said that it is very encouraging to see that in all major parameters like registration and disposal of corruption cases & conviction of corrupt public servants, Odisha vigilance is among the top performing anti-corruption agencies in the country.
This was revealed by the latest statistics in Crime in India-2021 published by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB).
Expressing happiness over the report, he said that in the last 12 months, Odisha vigilance has created new records by seizure of highest amount of cash in a trap case, seizure of highest amount of cash during a house search and unearthing the highest amount of disproportionate assets.
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He said that his government has adopted a “zero tolerance” approach to corruption so that basic public services are made available to the people at the grassroots level in a fair and transparent manner, and the benefits of welfare and developmental schemes reach the backward and poor sections of society.
“With proactive steps like ‘Mo Sarkar’, we are also trying to empower the people, who are the ultimate masters in a democracy, for claiming their rightful entitlements,” he added.
The Chief Minister further said transparency is a critical factor of the 5T initiatives undertaken by his 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.
Patnaik said his government has been taking a number of proactive steps to strengthen Odisha vigilance, so that it can discharge its mandate more professionally and serve the people in a better way.
He also called upon all the public servants to show exemplary probity and integrity in their work and appealed to the people of Odisha to renew their resolve to fight against corruption and strengthen the transparency and anti-corruption initiatives of the government.
Patnaik administered ‘Integrity Pledge’ to all the officers of the state connected on the virtual platform.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra said that with 5T and MO Sarkar put in place, most of the services are now offered online. People need not come to Government offices. This visionary initiative has improved transparency, he said.
