Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi presented appointment letters to 2,067 Sevaks, Sevikas, and tribal language teachers at the 18th Nijukti Mela held at Krushi Shiksha Sadan Auditorium, OUAT here on Sunday.
Organised under the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development Department, the recruitment drive marks another milestone in the state government’s mission to fill vacant public posts. Out of the 2,067 new recruits, 1,913 are Sevak-Sevikas, and 154 are specialised tribal language educators. With today’s distribution, the total number of government appointments made since June 2024 has reached 48,642, including 28,693 teachers.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Majhi highlighted that empowering the youth through skill development and employment remains his government’s top priority. “Be ideal friends and guides to your students. Create a sense of security and confidence in their minds rather than taking a strict approach,” CM Majhi advised the newly inducted educators.
He further urged the recruits to embrace their duties with patience, integrity, and a positive mindset under the principle of “Karma is God.” Emphasising administrative integrity, he warned that irregularities in programs like the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) scheme or acts damaging the dignity of the teaching profession—such as alcohol consumption or corporal punishment—would face zero tolerance. He also requested recruits posted in flood-affected regions of Southern Odisha to lend a helping hand to impacted local communities.
Highlighting educational initiatives for the state’s ST/SC population, which constitutes nearly 40% of Odisha’s total demographic, the Chief Minister underscored the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP). Odisha currently imparts primary education in 10 tribal languages, including Santali. He also highlighted key schemes such as the ‘Shaheed Madho Singh Hathakharcha Yojana’ to curb school dropout rates, the expansion of Ekalavya Model Residential Schools to 69, and the ‘Foreign Scholarship Scheme’ supporting 50 meritorious students annually.
Speaking at the event, ST & SC Development Minister Shri Nityananda Gond called teaching a noble mission of nation-building, adding that schools must become factories for moulding good human beings to realise the dream of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ‘Samruddha Odisha’.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari congratulated the recruits, stressing that no great figure—from Swami Vivekananda to Chhatrapati Shivaji—achieved greatness without an exceptional teacher.
The event was attended by Minister for Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water & Rural Development Rabi Narayan Naik, Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, Development Commissioner D.K. Singh, and Senior Departmental Commissioner-cum-Secretary Shri B. Parameswaran, who delivered the welcome address. Special Secretary Sujata Mishra offered the vote of thanks.