Bhubaneswar. To standardise faculty hiring and promote inclusivity, the Odisha cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to introduce a uniform reservation system for the direct recruitment of teachers across all public universities in the state.
The decision paves the way for the Odisha State Public Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Ordinance, 2025, which shifts from the existing department-wise reservation approach to treating each university as a single unit. This change applies to positions of Professors, Associate Professors, and Assistant Professors.
Under the new framework, a post-based roster will be maintained for each cadre, ensuring clarity and uniform application of reservation policies across universities.
The reform is expected to enhance representation of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), and other eligible categories, simplify administrative procedures, and align Odisha’s universities with nationally accepted practices in faculty recruitment.
The ordinance also underscores the government’s emphasis on fairness, transparency, and social justice in academia, as echoed in statements of Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj during recent workshops on the ‘Vikshit Odisha 2036’ vision.
A total of 10 proposals from seven departments got the Cabinet’s nod during the meeting.
In the skill sector, five Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state will be upgraded to Utkarsh ITIs (Centres of Excellence). The institutes picked under the Utkarsh ITI Scheme are in Puri, Balangir, Ambagupa in Koraput, Rajkanika in Kendrapada and Rourkela in Sundargarh. These ITIs will have industry-ready infrastructure with modern labs, smart classrooms, digital, learning spaces and renovated infrastructure, and function as zonal hubs for advanced training, faculty development, assessments, and innovation.
