Odisha Vigilance Unearths Rs 131 Cr in Disproportionate Assets in 2024
�Bhubaneswar: The Odisha vigilance department has taken significant strides in its anti-corruption efforts in 2024, registering over 200 criminal cases and apprehending 181 individuals, including government officials and officers, for their involvement in corruption and disproportionate assets (DA) cases.
According to a release by the agency, charges have been filed against 50 Class-I officers, including six chief engineers, a joint commissioner of excise, a deputy director of fisheries, two assistant commissioners of CT & GST, a jail superintendent, a sub-collector, two tahasildars, and two block development officers (BDOs), among others.
In addition to these high-ranking officials, the Vigilance department has arrested 19 engineers, 22 revenue officials, 20 panchayati raj & drinking water (PR&DW) officials, nine police officers, five doctors, three forest officials, and three ICDS (Integrated Child Development Scheme) functionaries on various corruption charges this year.
The department registered 60 DA cases in 2024, unearthing assets worth over Rs 131 crore. It also intensified its crackdown on bribery, registering 96 trap cases and apprehending 115 individuals, including 99 government officers, for accepting bribes totaling Rs 19.25 lakh.
As part of its investigations, the department conducted searches at 483 locations and froze 792 bank accounts belonging to corrupt public servants. A total of 194 buildings and projects valued at approximately Rs 27.03 crore were evaluated. Moreover, 38 spouses were named as co-accused in various DA cases.
The department successfully completed investigations in 307 cases, achieving an unprecedented disposal rate of 154 per cent.
The Odisha vigilance department achieved a conviction rate of 50 per cent across all cases, with nearly 105 convictions recorded in 2024. For DA cases specifically, the conviction rate soared to around 80 per cent. Following these convictions, 25 government functionaries were dismissed from service.
The department's continued efforts reflect its commitment to eradicating corruption and ensuring accountability across public service sectors.
