Bhubaneswar: The State Cabinet Wednesday approved several changes in recruitment rules to ensure timely and hassle-free filling of the vacant posts.
It has been decided to amend the Odisha Secretariat Service Rules 2016 to dispense with the existing mandatory provision of annual recruitment process under the rules.
Now, unlike yearly advertisements of vacancies by Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), advertisements will be made only when recruitment is required. This was related to the appointment of Assistant Section Officers (ASOs) made through competitive exams by the OPSC.
Briefing media persons, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said that due to the existing provision, the OPSC has to relax the upper age limit for recruitment of ASOs as it is unable to conduct the examination each year. With this amendment, the Commission will no longer need to relax the age, he said. The Cabinet has also decided to promulgate a new ordinance to amend the Odisha Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fees) Act 2007 to pave way for nomination of a retired Orissa High Court judge by the Chief Justice of Orissa HC as the Chairman of Fee Structure Committee in place of Vice Chancellor, BPUT.
The ordinance also entrusted the tasks of the Industries department secretary to the secretary of Skill Development and Technical Education department.
Further, the Cabinet approved amendments to the existing cadre Rules, Odisha Engineering Service 2012. The new amendments plan to bring in meritorious degree engineers under direct recruitment quota. “It is decided to recruit through the score in Graduate Aptitude test in Engineering (GATE),” Tripathy said.
The panel also gave its stamp of approval to make changes to the Odisha Diploma Engineers’ Service Rules 2012 to facilitate the process of making Water Resources department as the nodal department for all the engineering departments.
Drinking water projects for Bargarh
The Cabinet also approved tenders for execution of rural piped water projects in Bargarh district with a total expenditure of Rs 724.06 crore under Basudha scheme launched in 2017. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had assured the people of Bijepur to provide drinking water to them May 31, 2019. Realising the assurance, the Cabinet approved the projects, Parliamentary Affairs Minister said BK Arukha said. The Cabinet has approved the lowest tender of L&T Ltd, Chennai amounting to Rs 508.75 crore for execution of one package of the project, he said. By execution of this package, 5,08,304 people of 349 villages under 95 GPs of five blocks of the Bargarh district will be provided with safe drinking water. The second package was awarded to KEC-Kaveri (JV), Warangal, India with a cost of Rs 215.31 crore. This package will provide drinking water to 2,29,064 people of 166 villages under 43 GPs of two blocks of the district.