Bhubaneswar: Aspirants of various competitive examinations in Odisha have demanded that the upper age limit for Odisha government jobs be increased to 42 years permanently for general category candidates.
A memorandum intended for the Chief Minister was submitted Tuesday in this context, one of the aspirants said Wednesday.
According to another aspirant, several MLAs have repeatedly put forward the demand in the Assembly. The various vacancies in Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) and other boards are not filled up every year as per the rules, she stated.
The aspirant further alleged that no vacancies were announced by Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC) in 2022. Even though some recruitment notifications were released in 2023, many of the candidates have passed the age-limit threshold, they added.
The Odisha state Cabinet had raised the upper age limit from 32 to 38 years for recruitment to state government jobs January 10, 2022. It was initially applicable for 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Suresh Mohapatra — the then Chief Secretary of the state — had stated that the upper age limit for various recruitments of the state government was raised as aspirants were not able to appear in the recruitment examinations over the last two years due to Covid outbreak.
Mohapatra has also informed that the relaxation in the upper age limits would be initially applicable for three years. He further mentioned that the upper age limit for candidates belonging to SC/ ST, SEBC categories and women candidates had been increased to 43 years.
PNN