Bhubaneswar: In a series of major administrative and governance reforms, the Odisha Cabinet also approved proposals to remove the restriction on the number of attempts in the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) Examination, restructure the Panchayat Executive Officers (PEO) cadre and amend judicial service rules to create more opportunities for fresh candidates.
The decisions, taken across three departments, aim to widen employment opportunities, improve career progression for government employees and strengthen administrative efficiency at the grassroots and judicial levels.
The Cabinet approved an amendment to the Odisha Civil Services (Combined Competitive Recruitment Examination) Rules, 1991, removing the restriction on the number of attempts for candidates appearing in the OCS Examination.
Under the revised provision, candidates fulfilling the prescribed age and other eligibility criteria will be allowed to appear in the examination without any limit on the number of attempts. The move is expected to provide wider and fairer opportunities to aspirants and ensure merit-based selection for civil service positions.
The Cabinet also approved the draft Odisha Panchayat Executive Officers Service (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Amendment Rules, 2026, paving the way for restructuring the PEO cadre and significantly expanding promotional opportunities.
The restructuring of the PEO cadre was initially approved by the government on February 22, 2024, to introduce better promotional avenues and enhance the minimum educational qualification for direct recruitment. Under the restructured cadre, a total of 3,294 posts will be created across two pay levels. These include 2,030 posts in Pay Level-7 and 1,264 posts in Pay Level-9.
Previously, promotional opportunities from Panchayat Executive Officer (PEO) to Gram Panchayat Development Officer (GPDO) were limited to 2.5 per cent within the PEO cadre. The restructuring is expected to significantly improve career progression, employee morale and motivation, while encouraging greater commitment to public service.
The government has also decided to raise the minimum educational qualification for direct recruitment to the post of PEO to graduation or an equivalent qualification.
In another significant decision, the Cabinet approved an amendment to the Odisha Superior Judicial Service and Odisha Judicial Service Rules, 2007. The proposed amendment aims to introduce a structured training system for trainee judicial officers, comprising one year of institutional training followed by one year of structured law clerkship.
The initiative is intended to provide fresh candidates with more opportunities to enter the Odisha Judicial Service while ensuring systematic training and practical exposure before taking up judicial responsibilities.
The reform is expected to strengthen the professional preparedness of future judicial officers and improve the overall functioning of the state’s judicial system.
Recruitment of 19 Assistant Town Planners
The Cabinet has also approved the amendments to the Odisha Town Planning Service-Group A (Methods of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2018, to facilitate the direct recruitment of 19 Assistant Town Planners through the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC).
The proposed amendment aims to strengthen the state’s professional town planning capabilities and address observations raised by the OPSC during scrutiny of the recruitment proposal. One of the key changes is the revision of the age limit for direct recruitment. Candidates aged between 21 and 42 years will be eligible to apply, with the age calculated as of January 1 of the recruitment year.
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