Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet has approved new rules that mandate examination fees for recruitment tests. However, the fee will be refundable for the attendees. The decision is intended to discourage absenteeism during the exams.

As per the Odisha Payment of Recruitment Examination Fees and Refund Rules, 2025, candidates applying for government jobs will have to pay an examination fee. However, candidates from the Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) categories will be exempted from the payment.

Importantly, the rules ensure that the fee will be fully refunded to those candidates who actually appear for the examination. This mechanism will not only reduce the burden of unnecessary applications but also help in saving public resources spent on conducting exams.

At present, the lack of an examination fee has led to an unusually high number of applications, many of which come from candidates who do not turn up for the tests. This results in wasted expenditure and logistical challenges for the recruiting agencies.