Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi handed over appointment letters to 1,294 newly recruited officers and employees from seven key departments of the state government on Friday.
Speaking at the ‘Nijukti Mela’ event held at the Railway Auditorium in Bhubaneswar, the Chief Minister urged the appointees to serve the public with dedication and uphold the values of empathy, integrity, and accountability.
Official sources said the new personnel include 826 postgraduate teachers under the School and Mass Education Department; 224 recruits in the Health and Family Welfare Department, including Assistant Professors, Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatric Social Workers, Nursing Officers, and Drug Inspectors; and 63 positions in the Commerce and Transport Department. Other appointees include 81 faculty members in the Skill Development Department, 49 Gram Panchayat Development Officers, 32 Excise Sub-Inspectors, and 19 officers in the Labour Department.
Describing employment generation as a top priority of his government, Majhi said, “We are targeting 1.5 lakh government recruitments in five years, of which 65,000 posts will be filled within the first two years. Including today’s recruits, we have already appointed 27,428 candidates.”
He said transparency in recruitment will be maintained through a bill passed in the Assembly, and the age limit for government jobs has been raised to 42 years to widen eligibility. Citing support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CM said both public and private sector job creation are being aggressively pursued under the Utkarsh Odisha initiative, which has already facilitated 90,000 job opportunities in the industrial sector within four months.
The Chief Minister also reiterated his government’s zero-tolerance policy toward corruption and urged the new appointees to remain honest in service. As part of the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign, he encouraged each recruit to plant a tree in their mother’s name, symbolising both gratitude and environmental responsibility.
Majhi also gave a personal message to the new recruits and advised them to always serve their parents and never be the cause of their distress. “Ensure timely justice for the poor, who face the harshest realities of our society,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo asked the appointees to serve the common people, saying their contributions would be remembered in the making of a “new Odisha.”
Deputy Chief Minister and Women and Child Development Minister Pravati Parida said public servants are custodians of taxpayers’ money and must act as true servants of the people.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling praised the recruitment drive as a step toward fulfilling the government’s promise of good governance, while School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond urged the new appointees to play an active role in transforming the state’s education and administrative systems.
During the event, 30 candidates representing each of Odisha’s 30 districts received appointment letters directly from the Chief Minister. Among them were Geetanjali Suna from Nabarangpur (appointed as a postgraduate teacher), Dr Sonali Subhadarshini (appointed as Assistant Professor in the Health Department), and Brajabandhu Nahak from Keonjhar (appointed as faculty in the Skill Development Department), who all expressed gratitude for the state’s transparent and merit-based recruitment process.
Also present at the event were Industries and Skill Development Minister Sampad Chandra Swain, Labour and ESI Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, School and Mass Education Secretary Shalini Pandit and Health Secretary Ashwathy S. (who proposed the vote of thanks).
