The Odisha government has approved the filling of 4,219 vacant constable positions in the state police through direct recruitment, adhering to all necessary rules and regulations.
The proposal from the State Police Headquarters has received the green light, with instructions to follow the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the General Administration Department.
In a letter to the Director General of Police (DGP) and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Additional Secretary of the Home Department, Tarun Kumar Panda, confirmed that the government has granted permission to fill these 4,219 constable posts directly.
The decision comes after careful consideration of the State Police Headquarters’ proposal. The recruitment will comply with legal norms, including the state’s reservation policy, and the SOP released on September 22 by the General Administration Department.
The SOP aims to ensure transparency in competitive examinations across various departments. In September, the General Administration Department sent letters to all departments, heads of departments, the Odisha Police Recruitment Board, Odisha Police State Selection Board, Odisha Police Ministerial Staff Selection Board, Odisha Public Service Commission, and Odisha Staff Selection Commission, mandating strict adherence to the SOP.
Additional Chief Secretary Surendra Kumar’s letter highlighted that over 1.5 lakh vacancies in various state government departments will be filled through competitive exams in the coming days. Some will be handled by recruitment agencies, while others will be managed directly by the departments. Past inconsistencies in recruitment processes across agencies have led to irregularities and complaints, prompting the government to prioritise transparency. To avoid any exceptions, all exams must be conducted with utmost fairness.
The SOP has been developed to make the examination process transparent and free from irregularities. All departments are required to follow it rigorously. It provides detailed guidelines for OMR sheet-based exams, including preparing question papers, sealing them, and sending them to secure printing presses. Printing must be supervised by government officials and police officers (for police exams, an IG-level IPS officer).
This move is expected to strengthen the Odisha Police force by addressing the long-standing vacancies efficiently and fairly.
