Bhubaneswar: In a move aimed at benefiting thousands of civil service aspirants across the state, the Odisha Cabinet on Monday approved a key amendment to the Odisha Civil Services (Combined Competitive Recruitment Examination) Rules, 1991, officially removing all restrictions on the number of attempts for the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) Examination.
The decision was taken during a meeting of the State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Majhi.
According to an official press release issued by the General Administration & Public Grievance (GA&PG) Department, candidates, who satisfy the prescribed age criteria and other eligibility conditions, can now sit for the state civil services examination without any cap on their number of attempts.
The state government highlighted that the amendment will ensure wider, fairer, and merit-based opportunities for all candidates.
Under the earlier framework, general category candidates were restricted to six attempts, while Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) candidates were allowed nine attempts.
Earlier, the state government had also raised the upper age limit for entry into government services to 42 years.
The state Cabinet also approved a significant amendment to the Odisha Superior Judicial Service and Odisha Judicial Service Rules, 2007. The decision, taken pursuant to directions from the Supreme Court of India, aims to expand opportunities for fresh law graduates while upgrading the training framework for entry-level judicial officers.