Ex-IAS Vinod Kumar Gets 12th Conviction in ORHDC Scam; 15 Cases Pending

• Former IAS officer Vinod Kumar and five others convicted in a housing scam by a Special Vigilance Court in Bhubaneswar.
• This marks Kumar's 12th conviction in corruption cases related to the Odisha Rural Housing Development Corporation (ORHDC) scam.
• The six individuals were found guilty of misusing 52.95 lakh rupees meant for rural poor housing schemes and sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment.
• They misused their positions to benefit private builder Sangram Keshari Sahoo through fake and forged documents.
• Kumar, dismissed in 2022, improperly approved 33.34 crore rupees in housing funds as ORHDC MD in 1999 and faces 15 other pending cases.

Why It Matters: Ex-IAS Vinod Kumar receives his 12th conviction for corruption, highlighting persistent issues in housing schemes.