Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance has achieved record performance in cash recovery, case disposal, prosecution sanctions and convictions, Director of Vigilance Y K Jethwa said Tuesday, highlighting the state’s intensified efforts to strengthen its anti-corruption mechanism.
Speaking after the state-level Vigilance Awareness Week programme, where Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi administered the Integrity Pledge, Jethwa said senior IAS, IPS and IFS officers, other officials, Central Government representatives, district Collectors, SPs, block-level functionaries and citizens joined through live telecast and video conferencing.
He noted that a series of measures over the past two-and-a-half years has strengthened the agency’s operational capabilities, improved detection, professionalised investigations and made prosecutions more effective.
Highlighting the agency’s achievements, Jethwa said Odisha Vigilance recovered approximately Rs 4.28 crore in cash during a disproportionate assets search at the residence of a mining officer in February 2026.
He described it as the highest cash recovery in the history of Odisha Vigilance. The agency also completed investigations and disposed of 488 cases last year, marking its highest-ever annual disposal, he said.
CM Majhi approved 105 prosecution sanction proposals, the highest number in the past two decades, according to Jethwa. The conviction rate of Odisha Vigilance, which had generally remained around 50 per cent, has increased to 65 per cent up to the end of October this year, marking another record for the agency, he added.
Jethwa attributed the improved performance to the state government’s initiatives to strengthen the organisation through specialised personnel, legal expertise and enhanced investigative capabilities.
Odisha Vigilance now has cadre prosecutors in 17 courts and legal advisers in every division. The advisers include experienced anti-corruption lawyers, some of whom have spent 20 to 25 years in institutions such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). These legal experts monitor investigations and prosecutions and provide guidance to investigating officers and prosecutors to improve the quality of cases and their chances of success in court.
The agency has also inducted professionals from outside the conventional policing system, including chartered accountants, banking experts and cyber specialists, to strengthen financial scrutiny, evidence collection and investigations. The state government has given in-principle approval for 100 posts at the Sub-Inspector and Inspector levels to augment the agency’s manpower.
Announcing another significant initiative, Jethwa said Chief Minister Majhi had approved the establishment of an Odisha Preventive Vigilance Research Wing under the agency.
Describing it as an innovative, multidisciplinary initiative, he said the wing will analyse corruption data and cases to identify systemic weaknesses, procedural loopholes and vulnerable positions across departments, with competent officers from departments reporting higher corruption rates being associated with it. Jethwa said the initiative has recently received approval and the wing will become operational shortly.
He expressed confidence that the state will achieve success in its fight against corruption through stronger investigations, effective prosecution, professional expertise and preventive measures. The Vigilance Awareness Week is being observed from October 26 to November 1, 2026, with the theme “Probity for Prosperity.”
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