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Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has said that the state government resolved 96% of the complaints received during the first 18 editions of its State-Level Public Grievance Hearing Programme.
Majhi announced the figures after participating in the programme’s 19th round at Unit-II in Bhubaneswar on Monday. He credited regular monitoring across different levels of the administration for what he described as a major improvement in the grievance-redressal process.
According to official data shared by the government, authorities disposed of 14,331 complaints out of 14,941 registered during the first 18 state-level hearings. The figures translate into a disposal rate of approximately 96%.
Majhi said the system had helped make government departments more responsive while improving public confidence in the administration. The performance figures, however, were released by the state government and were presented as part of the Chief Minister’s assessment of the programme.
During Monday’s hearing, the Chief Minister was accompanied by six Cabinet ministers. Together, they listened to petitions from residents and directed officials from the relevant departments to examine and address the issues raised.
The government also approved ₹6.15 lakh in medical assistance through a single-window mechanism for 12 patients suffering from serious illnesses. The financial support was sanctioned during the hearing after officials reviewed the patients’ requests.
Majhi first interacted with persons with disabilities and critically ill patients who were waiting outside the grievance cell. He received their applications and instructed officials to begin action on their cases without delay.
More than 700 grievances were submitted during the latest session through online and offline channels, according to official sources. These complaints are expected to be forwarded to the departments responsible for their examination and disposal.
The Chief Minister said the grievance-redressal framework is not limited to hearings held at the state headquarters. District collectors and superintendents of police are conducting similar public sessions, while programmes are also being organised at block and tehsil levels.
Government figures showed that district administrations had received and heard 2,59,213 grievances by the end of June. Authorities claimed that 89% of those complaints had been resolved.
Majhi said the decentralised structure allows residents to approach officials closer to their homes instead of travelling repeatedly to state offices. He argued that making grievance hearings available across administrative levels had reduced inconvenience and made the system more accessible.
The Chief Minister also said his administration had treated public complaints as a priority since taking office. He emphasised that grievances should be addressed transparently and within defined timelines.
The ministers present included Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, School and Mass Education and ST & SC Development Minister Nityananda Gond, Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, and Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Rural Development Minister Ravi Narayan Naik.
Industries and Skill Development Minister Sampad Chandra Swain and Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Minister Gokulananda Mallik also attended and heard complaints from members of the public. Senior officials from the Home Department, Chief Minister’s Office and General Administration and Public Grievances Department participated as well.
While the government has highlighted its disposal statistics as evidence of stronger governance, the long-term effectiveness of the programme will depend on whether resolved cases result in satisfactory and lasting outcomes for complainants.
