Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Chhatra Congress Monday accused the Mohan Charan Majhi government of misleading job aspirants, alleging irregularities in the Odisha Uniformed Services Staff Selection Commission (OUSSSC) recruitment notification for 7,268 posts across various uniformed services.
Addressing a press conference at the Pradesh Congress office, Students’ Congress president Bibhuti Bhushan Mohapatra alleged that the notification issued October 23 contained provisions that could deprive candidates from reserved categories of their rightful opportunities and trigger legal complications.
The recruitment drive covers several posts, including Civil Constables, Communication Constables, GSF Constables, fi remen, fi reman drivers, driver PMT personnel and traffic constables. Questioning Clause 3.2 of the notification, Mohapatra alleged that its provisions governing candidates from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Socially and Educationally Backwards Classes (SEBC) applying for unreserved posts were legally questionable.
He demanded immediate clarification and necessary amendments to the clause. Citing the recruitment of 4,219 Civil Constables, Mohapatra questioned the allocation of 85 posts for SEBC, 741 for ST and 588 for SC candidates, demanding a review of the reservation roster as per applicable rules.
Referring to the 2022 Odisha Police recruitment notification, he said reserved-category candidates were allowed to compete for unreserved posts under the earlier framework. He alleged that the latest notification deviated from this provision and called for uniform application of recruitment rules.
Mohapatra further alleged that errors in recruitment notifications issued by government agencies had repeatedly exposed examinations to legal challenges, creating uncertain ty for candidates and delaying employment opportunities.
“Lakhs of aspirants have been waiting for this recruitment notification. The government must ensure that no candidate is deprived of a fair opportunity because of errors in the recruitment process,” he said, urging the commission to rectify the alleged discrepancies without delay.
He also questioned how the rights of tribal communities could be protected if recruitment rules were not implemented properly, despite Odisha having a tribal Chief Minister.
The Students’ Congress demanded that the commission review the notification and issue a revised version incorporating the necessary corrections.