Bhubaneswar: Rashmi Ranjan Swain, a retired IPS officer, has been appointed as the first chairman of the newly-constituted Odisha Uniformed Services Staff Selection Commission (OUSSSC).
Swain, a 1991-batch IPS officer from the Odisha cadre who served as Director General of Police (DGP) in Jammu and Kashmir until his retirement in 2024 and held several key positions in the intelligence and security establishment, was named to the post on Friday.
The OUSSSC was approved by the Odisha cabinet on November 21, 2025, following a high-profile recruitment scam involving the Odisha Police Sub-Inspector (SI) examinations. The new commission has been established under the administrative control of the General Administration and Public Grievance department. It will oversee recruitment for police, forest, excise, and transportation departments for posts such as constables, sepoys, fire service personnel and other lower-ranked uniformed staff.
As per provisions of the 2025 Rules, the Commission is to comprise a chairman and two members.
The SI exams, scheduled for October 5-6, 2025, were abruptly cancelled on September 30, 2025, amid widespread allegations of paper leaks. The scandal involved an organised syndicate allegedly leaking question papers, with middlemen demanding up to Rs 25 lakh from candidates.
This centralised body is expected to streamline processes, minimise irregularities, and ensure merit-based selections.
