Bhubaneswar: In a move aimed at enhancing administrative efficiency and responsiveness to citizens’ concerns, the Odisha government has issued a directive prohibiting all official and departmental meetings on Mondays.
This decision allows officials to dedicate the day exclusively to public grievance hearings, ensuring undivided attention to addressing complaints from the public.
The directive was issued by Chief Secretary Anu Garg following a high-level secretary-level meeting earlier this month, where discussions focused on streamlining governance processes and improving public service delivery. The order applies across all levels of government offices, from state headquarters to panchayat levels, emphasising that no meetings should be scheduled on Mondays to avoid any distractions from grievance redressal activities.
“This initiative is designed to strengthen accountability and ensure that citizens’ complaints are heard and resolved without administrative hurdles,” sources familiar with the meeting indicated, adding that the government seeks to build greater public trust and make the administration more citizen-centric.
This has come amid Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s assertions that the state’s grievance redressal system is gaining strong public trust, with 95% of complaints received at the CM’s grievance cell resolved so far. Majhi revived his grievance cell, discontinued in 2008, after the BJP assumed power in the state.
In addition to the Monday ban, the Chief Secretary has mandated monthly review meetings for flagship infrastructure projects on the third Saturday of each month. These sessions will assess the progress of 10 to 11 key projects per department, identifying bottlenecks and ensuring timely execution.
Departments are also required to report outcomes of grievance hearings regularly, further integrating this focus into ongoing administrative practices, the sources added.
