'Don't use word suicide': Odisha CM to elderly man at grievance meet

Bhubaneswar, Aug 11 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed displeasure on Monday after an elderly applicant at the CM's Grievance Cell here that he would commit suicide if his issues were not resolved.

Expressing deep concerns over the growing mindset on the subject, Majhi urged the elderly man not to use the word 'suicide' ever.

He assured the applicant, Jagabandhu Panda, that he was there to resolve their issues and urged him to be patient. The Chief Minister also said that if his grievances are genuine, he would definitely receive the assistance.

“I have been working in the PWD department for the last 25 years. However, I have no related documents. My wife is a paralysis patient and my son is physically handicapped. We are facing many hardships to make ends meet with a meagre Rs 5000 monthly salary. The authorities didn’t give any heed to my grievances. The Chief Minister assured me that he would listen to my grievances and asked me not to use the ‘suicide’ word,” said Panda.

The incident took place during the 14th session of public hearing of grievances by the Chief Minister on Monday.

Senior ministers of his government, along with officials of the different departments, were present during the public grievance hearing.

As per the official statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, out of the 12,252 applications received, as many as 10,807 applications were resolved during the last 13 sessions of public hearing.

With over 88 per cent of grievances resolved and Chief Minister Majhi's active efforts to address them, public trust in the state government has increased during the recent period.

As in previous sessions, the Chief Minister first met with more than 40 physically handicapped and those suffering from serious illnesses at the grievance cell during the 14th session. He listened to their grievances and directed the authorities to take immediate steps to resolve them.

Majhi instructed the secretaries of the concerned departments present during the hearing to take necessary actions on all the grievances received on Monday.

--IANS

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