Odisha government refers 125 cases to vigilance in 9 months for investigation

Bhubaneswar: In a span of nine months between April 1 and Dec 31, 2025, state govt referred 125 cases to the vigilance department for investigation, “marking a record high for any 9-month period in the state’s history”, according to the chief minister’s office (CMO).The figures were revealed during a review meeting chaired by CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday with vigilance director Yeshwant Jethwa on corruption-free governance. Officials said the surge reflects the govt’s zero-tolerance policy against corruption, which put the vigilance wing in “action mode”. In addition, 488 cases were disposed of in 2025, including 173 cases of disproportionate assets, the highest-ever in a single year.The CM lauded the vigilance’s efforts and stressed that “the time has come to make Odisha completely corruption-free and set an example that deters govt employees from taking the path of corruption”. He urged vigilance to continue its campaign aggressively.The State Vigilance Academy earned an ISO 9001:2015 certification for infrastructure and quality training improvements, valid for three years. Majhi praised the academy for the milestone, calling it “a significant step in strengthening institutional capacity”.“This achievement is expected to further strengthen public confidence in the State Vigilance Academy (SVA) and reinforce its position as a premier anti-corruption training institution in India,” a vigilance statement said.“The goal is to turn SVA into a platform for niche research and to disseminate evidence-based knowledge and solutions to institutions to strengthen their preventive vigilance structures, prevent leakages, as well as address corruption in the field of governance,” it added.The meeting also discussed skill enhancement, recruitment and filling vacant posts in the vigilance department. The CM assured that these requirements would be addressed soon.Senior vigilance officers were present during the meeting.