Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday said the overall law and order situation in the State has remained by and large peaceful.
Replying to the demand discussion of the Home and General Administration Departments, he said the State has been relatively free from any form of communal discord.
“The elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) 2022, Urban Local Bodies 2022 and Cooperative Societies were conducted peacefully. The Rath Yatra of Lord Shri Jagannath with devotees participating in lakhs after two years was also conducted smoothly due to elaborate police arrangements,” Patnaik said.
The intensity of overall Maoist violence has come down. The panchayat elections were conducted incident-free in the LWE-affected areas with high voter turnout despite determined efforts by Maoists to hinder the poll process, he said.
Patnaik said that to strengthen the police machinery, a total of 944 posts in various ranks were created last year. Dedicated police stations for cybercrimes and economic offences have been created. Further recruitment process is going on for filling up of about 1,730 posts in the rank of SI/ASI in police and posts in various ranks of jail as well as under Fire Service.
All women-related heinous crimes are being treated as “Red Flag Cases” and Special Public Prosecutors are engaged for these cases, he said.
About the general administration and public grievances, Patnaik said that to ensure timely and hassle-free delivery of public services, the Government has notified 412 public services relating to 31 departments under the Odisha Right to Public Service Act.
Regarding recruitment, Odisha Public Service Commission, Odisha Staff Selection Commission and Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission have been tasked to conduct examinations on a regular basis, he said, adding that in 2021-22, around 12, 810 candidates have been sponsored by OPSC, OSSC and OSSSC to various departments.
In order to bring efficiency in the administration, the Government has issued instruction containing procedure to deal with cases of premature retirement of Government servants with doubtful integrity or due to inefficiency in public service delivery. “Total 164 government servants have been sent on compulsory retirement/ dismissal from service/ pension has been withheld,” he informed.
The State Vigilance, during the year, has registered 267 criminal cases against 475 persons and has also initiated 373 enquiries against public servants while 272 accused persons have been arrested in Vigilance cases, he said.