Odisha: CDMO in-charge suspended for dereliction of duty in implementing 'Mo Sarkar' initiative

The Odisha government on Sunday suspended Sundergarh's Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) in-charge Pankaj Patel for alleged negligence of duty while implementing the 'Mo Sarkar' initiative.

The state government also issued a showcause notice to district collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan for alleged lapses in implementing the programme in the Sundergarh District Headquarters Hospital.

The move came following the visit of Secretary of Transformation and Initiatives VK Pandian to the hospital to review the healthcare facilities.

This is the first action taken by the state government after the launch of the initiative earlier this month.

On October 2, the Naveen Patnaik-led government had launched the citizen-empowering 'Mo Sarkar' programme on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti in a bid to promote transparency in governance.

'Mo Sarkar', which means 'My Government' in Odia, is a transformative initiative of the 5-T programme, which was introduced by Patnaik after he returned to power as the Chief Minister of the state for a fifth consecutive term earlier this year. The 5-T mantra is based on the philosophy that transparency, teamwork, technology and time that leads to transformation.

Under the new initiative, the chief minister and other ministers will call common citizens to seek their feedback on the kind of response and service they received when they visited the government facilities.