Odisha is grappling with a severe shortage of top-tier civil service officers, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed the Assembly on Monday.
The state currently has 182 vacancies across the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Forest Service (IFS), posing a challenge to governance and public service delivery.
Responding to a query from BJD MLA Arun Sahoo, CM Majhi revealed that out of 584 sanctioned posts, only 402 are filled. The IAS cadre has 45 vacancies out of 248 sanctioned posts, while the IPS cadre is short by 66 officers out of 195. The IFS cadre faces the most critical gap, with only 70 officers in place against a sanctioned strength of 141—leaving 71 posts unfilled.
The Chief Minister assured the House that the state government has formally requested the Centre to expedite the recruitment and deployment of officers to bridge the administrative gap. The shortage is impacting policy implementation, law enforcement, and forest management across Odisha.
This revelation has sparked concern among lawmakers and citizens alike, with many calling for urgent reforms in cadre allocation and recruitment processes to ensure efficient governance.
