Finance
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi brought back public grievance hearings on Monday, marking a significant step towards increased public participation, following a 16-year break.
Charan Majhi personally heard the complaints of the public and gave the relevant officials the instructions they needed.
“After 16 years, the chief minister’s grievance cell was opened to the public. Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik had visited the cell for the last time in 2008. People can directly come and apprise me of their problems,” Mr Majhi said in a post on X.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), more than 5,000 people visited the grievance cell, and 1,540 grievances were registered during the day.
The Chief Minister, along with Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo and Ministers Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Pradeep Balasamanta, and Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, heard grievances from more than 1,000 people.
Speaking to reporters, Majhi said his government prioritises listening to public issues and addressing them. Therefore, the new government has resumed the public grievance hearing programme in all 30 districts and at the state level, he added.
“An iron wall had been erected between the government and the public during the tenure of the previous government. The wall has been removed, and the Chief Minister’s grievance cell resumed its function today,” he said.
People can now report issues to the government for prompt settlement of numerous situations. According to the CM, district collectors and senior officers have been instructed to hear people’s complaints.
Majhi counseled the populace to first bring their issues to the attention of district authorities in order to receive prompt resolution. In the upcoming days, he hoped, fewer complaints would reach the state level because the majority of public issues would be settled at the district level.
Among them was an elderly woman, Saraswati Tripathi. Her children have usurped the property and thrown her out of the house. The Chief Minister immediately instructed the police department to deliver speedy justice.
Similarly, a woman working in a school in Keonjhar has not been paid her salary for many days. The Chief Minister ordered to solve her problem immediately.
Besides, Satyajit of Jajpur, the father of a little girl suffering from thalassemia had come for medical help. Her daughter will have a bone marrow transplant. The Chief Minister ordered to arrange her treatment as soon as possible. He also directed to provide him with financial assistance if required.
Further, several suffering people, persons with physical disabilities, and elderly people came and met the Chief Minister, told their problems and hoped for a solution. On getting assurance from the Chief Minister they returned happily.
About 99% of the grievances that were submitted on the first day of the program have already had action taken, according to the CM.
From the very first day, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi interacted with the people with an open mind, trying to figure out people’s problems. Whether in his office at the State Guest House in Bhubaneswar or on trips to areas like Bargarh and Keonjhar, he has always been hospitable in his interactions with the general public, holding discussions and organizing plans to resolve issues.
He is being better identified as the people’s Chief Minister with every passing day.
Over 5,000 individuals had attended, and 1,540 complaints had been filed today.
