Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: Bimala Majhi, 58, looked happy after her meeting with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the State Guest House here.

Majhi said the leader had assured her of taking up the issue of investors like her who have lost everything to deposit collection companies.

As part of his drive to connect with the people, Rahul met investors who have lost their money to the deposit collection scam. He also visited Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Postgraduate Institute of Paediatrics, popularly known as Sishu Bhavan, in Cuttack and met a group of slum dwellers in the capital.

Majhi, a victim of the deposit collection scam, lost her husband last year. "Just after retirement from his service in the electricity department, my husband had deposited Rs 1.5 lakh - the entire money he had got as retirement benefit - in Seashore. The company gave us an interest of Rs 3,000 per month for three months. Then, we stopped receiving money and now we are running from pillar to post to get the money back."

"All our money is gone. The government has not come to our rescue. My husband died trying to get the money back," she said, adding that she had full faith in Rahul.

Majhi was part of a group of 35 affected investors who met Rahul and urged him to take up their cases. Rahul patiently listened to their grievances and assured them that he would take up their case in Parliament. He also directed the state Congress to take up the issue in the Assembly. Around 20 lakh families in the state have lost around Rs 20,000 crore to deposit collection companies.

Rahul, during his visit to Sishu Bhavan in Cuttack said: "Odisha's tragedy is being played out at Sishu Bhavan as the state government has failed to pay attention to the health sector," he said.

Targeting chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Rahul said not much has been done for securing the future of children. He also interacted with the relatives of the patients.

"Of course, the doctors here are putting in their best effort, but the focus of the Odisha government on health care and education is missing as the chief minister is not thinking about the future of the state," said Rahul.

"I have come here for two reasons. One is to take stock of the situation personally, and secondly, to put pressure on the state government," Rahul said, denying any kind of politics behind his visit.

Rahul said he was moved to see the feelings of a sick child who approached him to console his mother.

"The child told me, 'Don't bother about me. Please console my mother and stop her from crying.' This, I think, is the spirit of Odisha. It is a spirit that the Naveen Patnaik government has never tapped," Rahul said.

The boy, identified as 10-year-old Akhlak Raza, is a Class V student of Venkateswar English Medium School at Jagatsinghpur. He had been undergoing treatment at Sishu Bhavan for malaria for 25 days. He was discharged from the hospital today.