Bhubaneswar, Jan 3: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi on Friday said the time had come to make the state corruption-free, asserting that his government was firmly committed to strengthening vigilance and enforcement mechanisms to ensure clean and transparent governance.
The Chief Minister made the remarks while chairing a high-level review meeting of the Vigilance Department at Lok Seva Bhawan here.
Stressing the need for decisive action, Majhi said corruption not only erodes public trust but also hampers development, and tackling it must remain a top priority of the government.
According to an official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Majhi assured senior officials that the state government would examine the requirements of the Odisha Vigilance Department, including capacity building, recruitment and the filling up of vacant posts, and take appropriate decisions at the earliest to further strengthen the institution.
During the meeting, officials informed the Chief Minister that the government had forwarded a record 125 corruption cases to the Vigilance Department for investigation between April 1 and December 31, 2025.
The CMO said this was the highest number of cases ever entrusted to the department for investigation within a nine-month period, reflecting the government’s aggressive push against corruption.
The review also highlighted the department’s performance in case disposal. A total of 488 corruption cases were disposed of in 2025, with cases related to disproportionate assets (DA) forming the largest share.
As many as 173 DA cases were disposed of during the year, marking an all-time high, officials said.
Vigilance enforcement was significantly intensified across the state in 2025. Teams conducted raids at 487 locations and took action in cases involving disproportionate assets and bribery.
As part of the crackdown, 1,199 bank accounts linked to corrupt government officials were frozen.
Authorities also seized substantial assets during the year, including 153 buildings, 417 plots of land, 12 farmhouses and 18.3 kilograms of gold. In addition, deposits worth Rs 36.69 crore and cash amounting to Rs 8.8 crore were seized, the statement said.
The meeting also noted a key institutional achievement, with the State Vigilance Academy being awarded ISO 9001:2015 certification for a period of three years.
The certification followed infrastructure upgrades and improvements in the quality of training provided at the academy.
The Chief Minister lauded the Vigilance Department and the State Vigilance Academy for their performance and achievements, and reiterated his government’s resolve to ensure transparency, accountability and zero tolerance for corruption in public administration.
