TV
The Odisha Vigilance on Friday apprehended Aswini Kumar Panda, OAS, Tehsildar of Bamra in Sambalpur district, while allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 from a complainant. Panda had demanded a bribe of Rs 20,000 for converting agricultural land into homestead land in a mutation case.
Acting on the complaint by the victim, a Vigilance team laid a trap and caught Panda red-handed while accepting the bribe amount of Rs 15,000 through his office driver, P Praveen Kumar, who has also been taken into custody. The entire tainted amount was recovered and seized.
While the 29-year-old’s success story served as an inspiration for millions of aspiring youths, the bribery incident has now sparked debates. As per reports, Panda from Khetrapal village in the Dharmasala block had topped the Odisha Civil Services to become a tehsildar in his first attempt without any coaching.
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Panda completed his school education from Jana Kalyan High School near his native place and Plus Two in Science from Ravenshaw University. He then pursued B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from a private college in Berhampur in 2015. After his engineering, he worked in Delhi for three years.
After working in a private company for three years in Delhi, he left the job in 2018 and returned home. He tried becoming an Assistant Section Officer (ASO) by appearing for the Odisha Public Service Commission examination but failed by just 0.5 marks.
Later, he decided to attempt the Odisha Civil Services examination and started preparing for it. The civil services preliminary examination for 2019 was held in March 2020, and the mains were delayed due to the pandemic.
After his success, Panda had revealed that he intended to work for the overall development of the place of posting after his training.
“My aim is to work for the overall development of the region and its people where I am posted. I personally have an inclination towards education, health, and women’s empowerment. I will try my best to deliver services to the lowest strata of the society,” Panda had said before being caught taking the bribe.
