Bhubaneswar: Odisha is grappling with a severe shortage of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the Assembly on Monday.

Responding to a query from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MLA Arun Sahoo, the Chief Minister said the state requires 182 more officers to meet its sanctioned strength.

According to the data placed in the House, Odisha has 584 sanctioned posts of IAS, IPS and IFS officers, but only 402 are currently in position, leaving 182 vacancies.

Of the 248 sanctioned IAS posts, 203 have been filled while 45 remain vacant. Similarly, of 195 IPS posts, 129 are filled and 66 vacant. The situation is more acute in the IFS cadre, where only 70 of 141 sanctioned posts are filled, leaving 71 vacancies.

The Chief Minister further informed that the state government has already requested the Centre to take steps for filling up the vacant posts at the earliest.