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Bhubaneswar: As many as 145 government officials were dismissed and 424 others convicted in corruption charges in Odisha in last five years after being booked by vigilance department.
This was stated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while addressing the Vigilance Awareness Week celebration today.
"The continued emphasis on effective prosecution in Courts has started yielding dividends, and I am happy to learn that conviction percentage in vigilance cases has reached a record 58 per cent this year, which is much better than all other cases," Patnaik said.
The state government has accorded priority to the maintenance of the highest standards of integrity amongst senior public servants, he said and claimed Odisha was the first state in the country to enact the Special Courts Act towards achieving this goal.
Under the Act, two special courts have been set up at Bhubaneswar and Cuttack and so far 157 cases of corruption have been transferred to them for expeditious trial and 15 accused persons holding high public offices have been convicted.
A total 97 confiscation proceedings have been initiated in these Courts and in 17 of them the authorised officers have passed final orders for confiscation of the properties of senior public servants, he said.
Patnaik said Odisha's pioneering efforts have received nation-wide recognition and the governments of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajastan have enacted similar legislation based on the Odisha Special Courts Act.
"Let us resolve to firmly implement the principles of integrity and probity in our lives as per the pledge taken by us today and steadfastly move towards a new era of clean and corruption-free government," he added.
