Odisha government cracks down those taking commission

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has taken action against 258 persons for allegedly taking commission in the rural housing schemes, a Minister said on Tuesday.

Replying to a written question of BJP MLA Dilip Ray, Panchayati Raj Minister Pradip Maharathy said punitive measures have been taken against 258 officials/non-officials for collecting "PC" or percentage commission in the rural housing schemes.

Earlier, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had given a call to end percentage commission being collected in the rural housing schemes. He had instructed District Collectors to stop the practice of collection of commission at the block level.

The Vigilance Department has set up a helpline number to get feedback from the people on corruption in the rural housing schemes.

Besides, an oversight committee headed by the state Chief Secretary has been formed to prevent corruption from taking place.