Chief Speaker Dr. Nikhil Kumar Kanodia Emphasises Integrity, Transparency and Accountability
Bilaspur, 31 October 2026: In accordance with the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), Government of India, South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) organised the ‘Sankalp Siddhi Samaroh’ at SECL Headquarters, Bilaspur, today as part of Vigilance Awareness Week being observed from 26 October to 01 November 2026. The theme for this year, as prescribed by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), is ‘Probity for Prosperity’.
Dr. Nikhil Kumar Kanodia (IPS), Inspector General of Police and former Chief Vigilance Officer, Airports Authority of India (AAI), attended the programme as the Chief Speaker. The occasion was also graced by Shri Biranchi Das, Director (Human Resources); Shri Himanshu Jain, Chief Vigilance Officer; Shri Ramesh Chandra Mahapatra, Director (Technical Operations); and Shri Nripendra Nath, Director (Technical Planning/Projects), along with senior officials and employees of SECL.
The programme commenced with the inspection of SECL’s Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) by the dignitaries. They were briefed on the centre’s functioning and digital monitoring systems. Thereafter, the dignitaries visited the Vigilance Awareness Week (VAW) Gallery, where various initiatives, awareness campaigns and activities undertaken by the Vigilance Department were showcased. This was followed by a plantation drive under the initiative ‘Ek Ped Satarkta Ke Naam’. Subsequently, the formal inauguration of the ceremony took place with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and floral tribute to the portrait of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Shri Himanshu Jain, Chief Vigilance Officer, delivered the welcome address. He shared details of the activities organised during Vigilance Awareness Week and the initiatives undertaken by the department. The dignitaries were felicitated with saplings, shawls, coconuts and mementoes.
In his address, Chief Speaker Dr. Nikhil Kumar Kanodia highlighted the importance of integrity, transparency, accountability and ethical conduct in ensuring good governance in organisations. Sharing insights from his extensive administrative experience, he urged officers and employees to maintain honesty and impartiality in their work and adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption. He also interacted with school and college students, responding to their questions and queries. Addressing the students, he emphasised that children are the future of the nation and that values of honesty, ethics and integrity must be inculcated in them from an early age.
Shri Biranchi Das, Director (Human Resources), in his brief address, emphasised the importance of upholding integrity and ethical values in the workplace. He also administered the Integrity Pledge to the officers and employees present on the occasion.
Various competitions were organised for different groups as part of Vigilance Awareness Week. School students participated in debate, drawing and essay competitions, while college students took part in debate and essay competitions. For SECL employees, debate, essay writing, slogan writing, poetry, quiz and poster-making competitions were organised. Winners of the various competitions were felicitated with awards during the ceremony.
The annual magazine of SECL’s Vigilance Department, ‘Spandan’, and the ‘Handbook on Systemic Improvement Measures’ were also released during the programme. These publications compile the organisation’s activities and measures undertaken towards systemic improvements.
The समारोह also featured musical performances and an Odissi dance presentation. The programme was compered by Shri Pankaj Pani Pandey, Senior Manager (Human Resources), while the vote of thanks was delivered by Shri Sanjay Prasad Dubey, General Manager (Vigilance).
Additionally, five retiring officers and employees of SECL were felicitated in recognition of their contributions during their service. They included Shri Devendra Prasad (General Manager, Excavation), Smt. Praveena Gandhi (Manager, Human Resources – Employee Establishment Department), Shri Aseem Julius (Sub Station Attendant, Basant Vihar), Smt. Suparna Dasgupta (Senior DEO, Basant Vihar Health Centre) and Shri Praveen Kumar Dixit (Senior Technical Inspector, Quality Control Department).
