BHUBANESWAR: The Assembly on Saturday passed Odisha Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2019 by voice vote allowing the State Government to make suitable changes in the original Act in the line of amendment made by the Centre in the Lokpal and Lokayukat Act, 2013.Moving the Bill on behalf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bikram Keshari Arukha said Section 44 of Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014 requires making a declaration of assets and liabilities by public servants to competent authority on or before July 31 of every year.
Considering some difficulties in supplementation of this provision of the Act, the Centre amended the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013 in 2016. Since Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2013 has been framed in line with the Central Act, the State Government felt it necessary to bring similar changes to obviate such difficulties, the Minister said.
“It is considered expedient to suitably substitute Section 44 in Odisha Lokayukta Act, 2014 providing that every public servant shall make declaration of his assets and liabilities in such form and manner as may be prescribed,” Arukha said.While proposing amendment in the Section 57 of the Act bring it in consonance with the amended provision of Section 44, the Minister said the State Government will make rules which will be implemented with retrospective effect.
While welcoming the Bill, Congress Legislature Party leader Narasingh Mishra moved an amendment to incorporate a provision that will enable the law to enquire to ascertain if the public servants do not have disproportionate assets after their retirement.
However, it was rejected by the Minister.
Though Odisha was the first state in the country to pass Lokayukta Bill on February 14, 2014, the ant-corruption authority started functioning after appointment of former Chief Justice of Guwahati High Court Ajit Singh as the first Lokayukta in March this year.