Hundreds of key posts lying vacant in Odisha’s Lok Seva Bhawan

A significant number of administrative posts are lying vacant in Odisha’s Lok Seva Bhawan, the state secretariat, raising concerns over the functioning of government departments.

Also Read: CM Mohan Majhi targets previous Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government over ‘lack of jobs’ for Odisha youths

In a written reply presented in the Legislative Assembly, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed on Monday that as many as 105 Under Secretary posts and one Additional Secretary post are currently vacant. The information was shared in response to a question raised by MLA Souvic Biswal.

The reply further revealed that two Joint Secretary posts and two Deputy Secretary posts are also lying vacant in the secretariat.

Apart from the senior administrative positions, several other key posts also remain unfilled. According to the data placed in the Assembly, four Desk Officer posts, 365 Section Officer posts, and 348 Assistant Section Officer posts are currently vacant.

The large number of vacancies in crucial administrative roles has drawn attention to staffing challenges within the state secretariat. These positions play an important role in policy implementation, departmental coordination and overall administrative functioning of the government.

The disclosure in the Assembly has sparked discussion over the need for timely recruitment and appointments to ensure the smooth functioning of government departments.

Worth mentioning, earlier on December 11 last year, the CM had announced that a target of 65,000 government jobs had been set for the first two years. He also reminded that the BJP had promised to provide 1.5 lakh government jobs within five years, and the administration is actively working to fulfil that pledge.

Addressing an employment fair (Nijukti Mela), CM Majhi had strongly criticised the previous BJD-led Naveen Patnaik government for the ‘deeply flawed’ recruitment practices that affected administrative efficiency for years.