Odisha Cabinet approves ordinance for uniform reservation in university faculty recruitment

Bhubaneswar: During the 33rd meeting of the State Cabinet under chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today, a proposal to promulgate an ordinance providing for uniform reservation in the recruitment of teachers in public universities across the state was approved.

Briefing the media after the meeting, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja said the Cabinet cleared the proposal to introduce the Odisha State Public Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Ordinance, 2025.

Under the proposed ordinance, each university will be treated as a single unit for implementing reservation in the recruitment of Professors, Associate Professors and Assistant Professors. This will replace the existing department-wise reservation system, ensuring a more consistent and equitable recruitment process.

Ahuja said a post-based roster will be maintained separately for each cadre. The reform is expected to enhance representation of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Socially and Economically Backward Classes (SEBC) and other eligible categories, simplify administrative procedures, and bring Odisha’s universities in line with nationally accepted faculty recruitment practices.

In another key decision, the Cabinet approved the upgradation of five existing Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) into Utkarsh ITIs. The ITIs to be upgraded are Government ITI Puri, Government ITI Bolangir, Government ITI Ambaguda (Koraput), Government ITI Rajkanika (Kendrapara) and Government ITI Rourkela (Sundargarh).

These institutes will be equipped with industry-ready infrastructure, including modern laboratories, smart classrooms, digital learning spaces and renovated facilities. They will function as zonal hubs for advanced training, faculty development, assessments and innovation. Entrepreneurship promotion and placement cells will also be set up to support self-employment.

The Cabinet approved a total of 10 proposals from seven departments. Among them was a proposal on the prorogation of the fifth session of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly.