Bhubaneswar, July 16: The chief minister’s office welcomes guests with warmth for sure. For, it has spent Rs 14,486 towards entertaining the guests during the past seven months.

“The major part of this amount was spent on providing tea to the visitors,” said health minister Prasanna Acharya while replying to a question.

The chief minister’s office has fared well in addressing grievances of people. It received 21,062 complaints in the past two years. Of them, 17,757 cases have been solved.

Nine dismissed

Nine state officials have been dismissed for their alleged involvement in the Orissa Rural Housing development scam.

“The state government has lodged cases against these officials in the special court of vigilance. Disciplinary action against them has been initiated,” state urban development minister Badri Narayan Patra, told the House today.

Rice scheme

To ensure transparency in distribution of rice at the subsidised rate of Rs 2 per kg, the state government will launch a pilot scheme in Rayagada district. The food and civil supply minister Sarada Prasad Nayak told this to the House while presenting the department’s budget in the House today.