Odisha job delays due to BJD’s ‘outsourcing’: Law Min responds to opposition’s recruitment allegations

The Odisha Assembly, on Friday, witnessed pointed arguments between Treasury and Opposition benches, with Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan asserting that the state government had tightened examination procedures and begun dismantling outsourcing systems that, he said, had affected transparency in public hiring.

Responding to concerns raised under a motion moved by the Congress, Minister Harichandan said irregularities were prevalent in earlier recruitment examinations and that the present administration had introduced stricter mechanisms to deter malpractice.

He stated that provisions for stringent penalties had already been implemented against individuals involved in exam-related corruption.

The Minister said the Odisha government has initiated steps to phase out outsourcing models inherited from the previous BJD regime. According to him, the administration had started a process aimed at expanding employment opportunities within the state to reduce the need for job seekers to migrate.

BJD Questions Slow Hiring Across Departments

The remarks came after BJD MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain (Raja Swain) alleged that several departments were facing routine disruptions due to officer shortages.

He added that several wings of the administration were operating with limited staff strength and said that this had prompted concerns over the timely execution of official work.

According to him, the government had made commitments during the election campaign, including assurances regarding the welfare of migrant labourers, but the expected recruitment drive had not yet materialised.

“In their manifesto, they (the BJP government) had promised to fill up 1.5 lakh government job vacancies and create 3.5 lakh non-government jobs. So far, they have filled up 37,000 government posts,” Swain alleged.

ALSO READ: Odisha primary school teachers stage night-long protest in Bhubaneswar over pay scale and service conditions

Congress Flags Recruitment Backlog

Congress MLA Ashok Das, participating in the debate, said the previous government had faced criticism for not making adequate appointments and that the current administration had yet to address the backlog.

He argued that outsourcing arrangements continued to obstruct the creation of permanent posts and highlighted delays across departments.