Odisha Govt Steps Up Grievance Redressal, CM Majhi Reviews Over 600 Petitions

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government is strengthening its grievance redressal mechanism with greater emphasis on resolving public complaints at the earliest and closer to the grassroots, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said on Monday while reviewing grievances at the state-level hearing in Bhubaneswar.

Majhi presided over the 20th state-level grievance hearing at the Chief Minister’s Grievance Hearing Cell in Unit-2, where more than 600 petitions were received through online and offline channels. Ten ministers and senior departmental officials participated in the exercise to facilitate action on complaints.

The Chief Minister said effective governance begins with listening to people and understanding their concerns. He emphasised that officials must approach grievances with empathy and sensitivity and ensure that genuine complaints are followed up until they are resolved.

The state-level grievance mechanism has so far recorded a high rate of disposal. Of the 15,327 complaints received during the previous 19 state-level hearings, 14,519 cases have been resolved, accounting for nearly 95 per cent of the total.

The government has simultaneously strengthened grievance hearings at the district, tehsil and block levels. According to the Chief Minister, Collectors and SPs have heard 2,69,394 grievances at the district level up to July-end, with 87 per cent of them already resolved.

Majhi said the decentralisation of grievance hearings was helping citizens avoid repeated visits to Bhubaneswar and enabling local administrations to address problems more efficiently.

He also highlighted the government’s intervention during natural disasters, saying the administration had extended assistance to people affected by floods, cyclones and droughts. The state had also declared the untimely rainfall of 2024 a natural disaster and provided assistance to affected people, while relief measures have been announced for those affected by the ongoing flood situation.

During Monday’s programme, the Chief Minister gave special attention to differently-abled persons and people suffering from serious illnesses who had gathered outside the grievance cell. He personally heard their concerns and directed officials to take necessary action.

Medical assistance of Rs 14.50 lakh was sanctioned through the Single Window System for 16 people suffering from serious illnesses.

The presence of ministers and senior officials from multiple departments allowed several grievances to be examined at the appropriate administrative level. The exercise also focused on ensuring coordination among departments for cases requiring intervention from more than one authority.

Majhi said the government would continue to improve its grievance redressal system so that people can access the administration more easily and receive timely responses to their concerns.

Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, Housing and Urban Development Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra and other ministers attended the programme.

Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Saswata Mishra, Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department Arabinda Padhee, Principal Secretary of the General Administration and Public Grievance Department Suresh Kumar Vashishth and other senior officials assisted in the hearing process.