By Janaki Ballav Dash

Baripada: Every year, government employees across departments solemnly pledge to uphold integrity and serve the public without seeking or accepting bribes. Yet, for many people in Mayurbhanj district, getting even routine work done in public offices allegedly comes at a price: an unofficial commission that has come to be known as the ‘percentage commission’ or ‘PC’ culture.

The annual vigilance pledge, meant to reaffirm public servants’ commitment to honesty and ethical conduct, appears to have made little difference to the ground reality in the district, where allegations of bribery and demands for commissions continue to surface.

“The annual anti-corruption pledge is taken with much enthusiasm, but many officials continue to indulge in practices that are exactly opposite to what they swear to uphold. It has almost become the norm that no work moves in public offices unless employees are paid their PC,” said Saktikumar Das, an entrepreneur from Baripada.

He claimed that the commission culture had intensified over the years, with the alleged cut rising from 10-25% earlier to around 25-40% in several sectors.

Mayurbhanj, the largest district in Odisha, has seen the alleged PC culture become deeply entrenched in its development machinery, said senior advocate UttamDalbehera of Baripada. “People have almost been forced to coexist with corruption in public offices, be it tehsils, blocks or departments dealing with revenue, welfare, health and education,” he alleged.

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However, the annual pledge should not be dismissed as entirely meaningless, as it serves to remind public servants of their responsibility towards citizens, said SunandaUpadhyay, headmistress of an upper primary school at Khunta in Udala subdivision.

“Such pledges may not eradicate corruption overnight, but they can reinforce the idea that citizens have every right to receive services they are entitled to under the rules without having to pay bribes,” she said.

SikhaMisra, a homemaker from Karanjia subdivision, said corruption was not universal and that several dedicated officials remained committed to public service, even as some continued to indulge in unethical practices.

The government, meanwhile, has taken several measures to curb corruption, including strengthening vigilance operations and acting against officials found guilty of corrupt practices, said Karanjia MLA Padma CharanHaiburu.

However, concerns remain over transparency and institutional accountability. JagatBehera, an RTI activist from Rairangpur subdivision, pointed to the controversy over the exemption granted to the Vigilance Department from the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act on August 11, 2016. The Orissa High Court quashed the decision in June 2022, ruling that the department could not be granted blanket exemption from the transparency law. However, implementation of the ruling remains a concern, he said.

Behera also flagged the shortage of Information Commissioners in the State. Although the law provides for up to 10 Information Commissioners, their number has reportedly fluctuated between one and four, leading to prolonged delays in the disposal of appeals. In some cases, applicants have to wait nearly three years for a decision, he claimed.

The functioning of the Odisha Lokayukta, the State’s anti-corruption ombudsman, has also come under scrutiny. Behera alleged that the institution had remained largely inactive for more than two years. He called for strengthening it through the appointment of committed individuals with a citizen-centric approach, citing the Karnataka Lokayukta as an example of a more active anti-corruption mechanism.

An annual pledge, by itself, cannot ensure clean governance. Sustained institutional accountability, transparent delivery of public services and effective action against officials found guilty of corruption are essential to bridge the gap between the promise of integrity and citizens’ everyday experience, stakeholders said.