The Odisha government has introduced significant changes to the state administrative system, with every Monday now exclusively dedicated to public grievance redressal and all official departmental meetings banned on that day.
The decision, aimed at ensuring swift resolution of citizens’ issues, was taken at a secretary-level meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg on January 15. Officials have been directed to treat public complaints with utmost priority, creating a transparent mechanism for redressal.
“No official meetings will be held on Mondays as the day is meant for hearing people’s grievances,” an official statement said. Since grievance hearings already take place in government offices on Mondays, holding administrative meetings simultaneously would distract officers from addressing public concerns. Departments will now focus solely on listening to citizens’ problems and resolving them on the spot.
In another key reform, old and redundant schemes will be discontinued, while similar or overlapping schemes will be merged into single programmes for easier monitoring. Each department has been asked to rationalise the total number of schemes based on operational requirements. Secretaries have been tasked with reviewing their respective schemes and submitting proposals for streamlining.
To ensure timely implementation of flagship projects, a new review calendar has been introduced. On the third Saturday of every month, departments will assess the progress of 10–11 major infrastructure projects. Additionally, on the third Tuesday of each month, the state-level single window clearance authority will meet to review projects under signed MoUs.
All departments have been instructed to strictly comply with these directives and submit regular reports on grievance redressal outcomes. The reforms are expected to enhance government accountability and restore public trust in the administrative system.
