500 new ASOs appointed in Odisha secretariat

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has appointed 500 new Assistant Section Officers (ASOs) at the state secretariat on Friday, a day after the opposition raised its concern over vacancies in the state government departments.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik handed over the appointment letters to the new recruits at an induction ceremony here.

"I congratulate the new ASOs who are joining the state government on Friday. With your induction, I believe, the regular functioning of the administrative departments will be smoother and faster," the chief minister said.

The opposition members, during a discussion in the Assembly on Thursday, had criticised the state government over 1.31 lakh vacant posts in the state government departments.