Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday said his government had not allowed corruption to “take root” in the administration and asserted that no one, regardless of position or influence, would be spared if found involved in graft.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar to mark two years of the BJP government in the state, Majhi said strict action was being taken against corrupt officials.
“There has been no corruption charge against our government so far. Action is being taken against those indulging in corruption. Even officials who were due to retire within a day or two have been arrested on corruption charges,” he said.
Responding to questions on action against individuals against whom the BJP had levelled allegations before the 2024 Assembly elections, the chief minister said: “We have completed two years in office and three more years remain. Have patience and see what picture emerges.”
On the reinstatement of an IAS officer who was allegedly caught accepting a Rs 10 lakh bribe and later granted bail, Majhi said the government had acted within the rules.
“There are instances where officials are reinstated after securing bail. A person cannot be treated as guilty unless proven so in a court of law. The government is very careful about this and I assure you that no one will be spared,” he said.
Majhi praised the state vigilance department, saying it had worked sincerely against corrupt elements and had received recognition from the central government for its anti-corruption initiatives.
Referring to criticism of the BJP’s “double-engine government”, the chief minister said it had produced “double impact” for Odisha and cited the removal of the word “dham” from the Digha Jagannath temple in West Bengal as a recent example.
Highlighting infrastructure projects, Majhi said railway works worth around Rs 90,000 crore and road projects exceeding Rs 30,000 crore were under implementation in the state.
He said the Centre had approved the long-pending coastal highway project worth Rs 8,300 crore and the Bhubaneswar–Cuttack–Puri–Paradip corridor project worth Rs 5,000 crore, which would significantly improve connectivity and economic activity in the region.
The chief minister claimed public confidence in the BJP government was growing and said Odisha was moving towards prosperity with the support of its 4.5 crore people.
Majhi also criticised the previous BJD government, alleging that its development model was driven more by publicity than by institutional mechanisms.
“Many projects were run according to the whims of one individual rather than through institutional processes. The Shri Jagannath Parikrama Project is one such example,” he alleged.
He said the Odisha State Institute for Transformative Initiatives (SITI) had been established on the lines of NITI Aayog to provide institutional support for policy formulation and development planning.
On law and order, Majhi challenged critics to identify a single case in the past year in which the accused had not been arrested.
“Concerns have been raised over law and order, but I challenge critics to point to a single case where the accused had not been arrested,” he said.
The chief minister said Odisha had received investment proposals worth over Rs 20 lakh crore during the past year, reflecting growing investor confidence and the state’s emergence as a preferred industrial destination.
He announced Mission Power-2027, aimed at ensuring 100 per cent coverage of electricity, drinking water and all-weather roads in every village by the end of 2027.
Among welfare measures, Majhi said more than Rs 20,600 crore had been provided to women through Subhadra Yojana and other empowerment programmes, while over 23.5 lakh women had become “Lakhpati Didis”.
He also claimed that incidents of farmer suicides had declined and said the BJP government had introduced an input subsidy of Rs 800 per quintal of paddy. Farmers were also receiving Rs 10,000 annually under the PM-KISAN and CM-KISAN schemes, he added.
Majhi said the Ayushman Bharat–Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana was benefiting around 3.46 crore people in the state.
On industrial policy, he said Odisha had adopted a special policy to emerge as a semiconductor hub, with plans for three semiconductor units and five global capability centres (GCCs). A Science City near Bhubaneswar would also be developed at a cost of Rs 300 crore, he added.
