Odisha Government Cracks Down on Outsourcing Corruption

Bhubaneswar, Odisha: In a major push towards transparency and accountability in governance, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has ordered a high-level probe into alleged corruption in outsourced engineering contracts during the previous BJD regime. Simultaneously, the government has launched a digital tool called the Work Passbook to make public works more transparent and accountable to the people.

CM Orders Probe into 5T-Era Engineering Contracts

The CM has directed Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja to initiate an investigation into contracts executed in five key departments: Water Resources, Public Works, Panchayati Raj, Rural Development, and Urban Development. These departments allegedly outsourced thousands of crores worth of work under the previous administration’s 5T initiative—which claimed to champion transparency and technology but now stands accused of fostering cronyism and corruption.

Majhi questioned the very rationale of outsourcing basic engineering work such as surveying, designing, and DPR (Detailed Project Report) preparation, despite the state having its own engineering staff. “Why should we outsource even minor works when our engineers are capable? Why promote such an unhealthy tradition?” he wrote in a note to officials.

The probe will examine the scale of outsourcing, the number of private agencies involved, the payments made, and why internal engineering teams were bypassed.

Strengthening In-House Capabilities

The Chief Minister has also sought recommendations to revamp the state’s engineering departments and leverage modern tools and digital technologies to reduce dependency on private contractors. This move is part of the BJP government’s promise to clean up the system and restore integrity in public infrastructure projects.

The BJP, which came to power in June 2024, had long accused the previous BJD government of making outsourcing a hub of corruption, especially under the guise of the 5T model (Transparency, Technology, Teamwork, Time, and Transformation).

Work Passbook: A Step Toward Public Accountability

As a concrete reform measure, the state has launched the Work Passbook—a new digital system that brings real-time, project-specific transparency to public works. Every government project will now have an online passbook, viewable by citizens, ministers, and officers alike.

The passbook will include information such as the total project cost, scope of work, executing agency, and status of completion. It will also be integrated into dashboards accessible to the Chief Minister, departmental ministers, and officials, ensuring continuous monitoring and public access.

PWD Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said, “With the Work Passbook, details about every public work will be available in the public domain. It will help reduce delays, mismanagement, and bring back public trust.”

A Political and Administrative Reset

These two major moves—the outsourcing probe and the Work Passbook rollout—are seen as the first significant steps by the Mohan Majhi government to address public concerns about governance and corruption. Since assuming office, the BJP-led government had faced criticism for inaction on its poll promises, especially regarding corruption under the BJD’s two-decade rule.

The contracts under scrutiny are believed to involve projects worth several thousand crores, marking this as one of the most significant accountability exercises in recent Odisha political history.