Bhubaneswar: Here’s some good news for candidates who want to join as a lecturer in government colleges in Odisha. The state cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to enhance the upper age limit for the post from 33 to 48 years.
Briefing the media after a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Lok Seva Bhawan, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy said that in clause (c), in sub-rule 2 of rule 4 of Odisha Education Service (OES) College Branch (CB) Recruitment Rules, 1990, the age limit for applying for the post of lecturers in government colleges is from 21 to 33 years allowing admissible relaxations in age for different reserved categories of candidates as admissible from time to time.
He said that the Higher Education Department had filed a requisition to the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) to select eligible candidates under the rules for filling 606 of vacant degree lecturer posts on October 1 this year.
Later, representations and recommendations were received from various quarters to enhance the upper age limit for these posts with the following reasons.
—In OES (CB) Recruitment Rules, 1990, the requisite qualification for recruitment to the post of lecturer (CB) was Master’s Degree in the concerned subject whereas, in 2012, PhD/NET qualification is mandatory for recruitment to such posts. When the qualification is enhanced, the upper age limit of 33 years needs to be enhanced because acquiring higher qualification needs more time.
—The Health & Family Welfare Department has fixed maximum age of 45 years for the selection of lecturers in medical, homoeopathic and ayurvedic colleges.
—The upper age limit for selection of lecturers recruited by State Selection Board is 42 years.
—No upper age limit has been fixed by the UGC (University Grants Commission) in its guidelines for recruitment of lecturers.
“Considering these facts and with the concurrence of the General Administration Department, Law Department and OPSC, the government has decided to give one-time relaxation to enhance the upper age limit from 33 to 48 years for recruitment of lecturers under rule 4 (2) (c) of the OES(CB) Recruitment Rules, 1990,” the chief secretary said.
Besides, the cabinet also approved the following proposals
— The headquarters of Odia University to be set up at Satyabadi in Puri.
— Framing of Odisha Civil Service (out of turn promotion) Rules, 2019 to provide impetus and to introduce the prospect of out-of-turn promotion irrespective of batch and year of allotment for exceptional and exemplary achievements in furthering good governance and ease of public service delivery by the officers and employees of the state government.
—Amendment to the Odisha Superior Judicial Service (OSJS) and Odisha Judicial Service (OJS) Rules, 2007 to give opportunity to more candidates belonging to ex-servicemen/ commissioned and SSC (Short Service Commission) officers of defence service and persons with disabilities by relaxing the age limit by 5 years for ex-servicemen/commissioned and SSC officers of defence and relaxing the upper age limit by 10 years in case of persons with disabilities over and above the normal relaxation admissible to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and SEBC (Socially and Economically Backward Class) for recruitment to the post of Civil Judge.
— Amendment to the Odisha District Revenue Service (Method of Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 1983, to recruit quality manpower for Revenue and Disaster Management Department for e-governance initiatives.
— Exemption of stamp duty amounting to Rs 2,15,64,648 to Reliance (Orissa Poly Fibres Ltd), Industries for transfer of 97 acres of government land valued at Rs 72 lakhs and 130 acres of private land valued at Rs 98 lakhs and value of the building at Rs 6.5 crore for a polyester staple plant in Dhenkanal district.