Naveen’s Government as ‘Belgian Glass’ : The Ceaseless Crusade Against Corruption Now Propelled By 5T Initiatives

Bhubaneswar: Bribery, kickback, fraud, payment facilitation, extortion, embezzlement, scam, cronyism, clientelism, nepotism and patronage have been painfully common occurrences in the society and public life of our times. They are forms of the despised and dreaded term ‘corruption’. Corruption – the abuse of entrusted power for illegitimate private gain – has continually unsettled and impacted civilizations. It undermines development, harms the vulnerable, perpetuates inequality, undercuts human rights, fuels conflict, promotes crime, damages the environment, impairs democracy and costs lives. The corruption practitioners do not distinguish between ordinary times and the extra-ordinary ones like the today’s pandemic. Focused leadership and management of transparency-led measures – awareness raising, empowerment, prevention, detection and sanctions – are the ways to deal with corruption and the corrupt.

Odisha, under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik has been at the forefront in the fight against corruption. Be it the government officials dealing with public affairs or the political leaders who are meant to serve the people, all are under continuous scanner for any corrupt practices that can dent the development process and hinder people’s wellbeing. Ever since Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik took over the mantle of Odisha’s leadership, the most important agenda for his government has been eradicating corruption and, in turn, paving the way for solving many issues such as poverty, disease, regional inequality, natural disasters, inequality, injustice and incompetence. According to Naveen, “All our fights are worthless unless we focus on transparency and eradicate corruption.”

Naveen’s fight against corruption has been continuing since he took over the responsibility in 2000. Since then, there has been many instances when many high and mighty have fallen from grace because of corruption charges. The fight is against not only those who are responsible for delivering the best of governance on the ground but also the ones in the higher echelons – political and bureaucratic. In its endeavour against corruption, the Odisha government has devised a number of tools that are exemplary and worth imitating by others. The zero tolerance policy of Odisha Government makes every government official liable. Be it a Class IV employee or a powerful administrative officer making policy decisions – all are equal when it comes to abiding by the rules.

Odisha has strengthened its anti-corruption mechanisms such as the Vigilance Department, Crime Branch, implementation of 5T Initiatives and, above all, setting up of a powerful Lokayukta. The action against corrupt officials has also been exemplary in Odisha. In little over a year, while more than hundred officials have been dismissed from the services, the retired officials who are found guilty of corrupt practices are made deprived of any government entitlements such as pension. The number of convictions has also seen a sharp rise in vigilance cases.

Odisha has taken the biggest and most important step against corruption by requiring all – from Sarpanch to Block Chairman to Zilla Parishad President and Vice-President, to MLA, Minister and Chief Minister – to disclose their property statement which is be kept in the public domain. All government employees from entry level to Chief Secretary also give their property statement every year and they are kept in the public domain for public information.

The main component of the fight against Corruption in Odisha today is Transparency. For Odisha’s Chief Minister, transparency figures at the top of 5T Initiatives undertaken by his government with a view to achieve transformational goals in governance and ensure better delivery of public goods and services to the people. Odisha Government has been taking a number of steps to strengthen the State Vigilance, so that they can discharge their mandate more professionally and serve the people in a better way.

With the Five T Mantra, Naveen’s Government intends to bring in transformation through technology, transparency, timeliness and teamwork. As part of this initiative, the state government has implemented the ‘Mo Sarkar’ Program that intends to fix the accountability and bring in a change in the working culture of the service delivery process. Naveen’s “No Tolerance” to corruption has seen new vigour. In the last few years, the Odisha government has acted tough and taken action against officers who are found to be corrupt by dismissing them from the service. Some of the officers shown the doors include senior administrative officers who were found to be corrupt by the vigilance and were convicted by the courts. Naveen is never in the mood to forgive wrongdoing. A masterstroke of Naveen is the Mo Sarkar program that takes the feedback of the public on various services provided by the government. Odisha is the only state in India where the government has started a system of feedback for public services. The Chief Minister has been keen on changing the behaviour of the officials towards common people. The focus should be now on empathetic solution of peoples’ problems. The political leadership has also been asked by Naveen to reach out to the people and solve the problems.

It is not new for Naveen Patnaik to take decisions against corrupt officials instantly. He is known for his impromptu actions when it comes to taking action against those who deviate from their duty. And more often than not, the decisions are taken basis indicative evidence. During the two decades of his political career, he has taken action against many IPS and IAS officers. The removal of officers from their posts shows that nobody can escape the scrutiny of the Chief Minister.

In the political sphere, starting from Kamala Das to Nalini Mohanty  all had to face the music when found guilty of corruption or dishonesty. The recent case of Pradeep Panigrahi, the disgraced MLA of Gopalpur, is an eye opener for those who think they can go scot-free. Political leaders like Pradeep Panigrahi or the senior administrative officers like Abhay Pathak or the unholy nexus between them – Naveen’s government has never tolerated corruption. Though Pradeep was a long term member of the Biju Janata Dal, was elected to the Assembly multiple times, and also served as a minister with important portfolios, he was shown the door and the vigilance had its way as there were allegations of corruption against him. Today, Pradeep is out on bail and vigilance is investigating the wrong doings. The Pradeep Panigrahi issue sends a clear warning to all that probity should prevail or else. It is an example for all who are in the service of the state that it’s high time to correct themselves. Be it the Crorepati Anganwadi worker or the staff of the Odisha Staff Selection Commission – whoever indulges in corruption has to pay for it. The no-nonsense Chief Minister has never given refuge to corruption in his ministry or the administration and has never excused them with slightest touch of dishonesty.

It’s a clear message for all those in and outside the government and are working for the people that they are under constant vigil and they need to abide by the ethics. The fate of those who are not standing for the people and going against the principles will be same as for Pradeep. There are many examples in the last two decades when Naveen has been un-forgiving enough towards corruption and dishonesty towards people’s welfare. The political journey and life of Naveen today has become an example for others which need to be emulated.

What one needs is to pursue a public life that is centred around the common people. This is what Naveen’s message is and this makes him the worthy leader that he is. He has been the darling of the masses and a guiding principle for the millions of followers. When voters change leaders like diapers, Naveen has been getting the love and mandate of his people for the last two decades and five elections.

Odisha Government’s crusade against corruption has been commended by various quarters. Transparency International has placed Odisha in the top league of states in the country that are least corrupt. With focus on Zero Tolerance, Naveen has hit the bull’s eye of a problem that has been dogging society for decades. For Naveen, the fight against Corruption will help in the fight against all ills of society, be it inequality, poverty, injustice or other social maladies. Naveen has been an advocate of Gandhian principles of public welfare and his governance is testimony to it. Any departure from them leads to an action similar to that in case of Pradeep Panigrahi.