Diwali Gift! Odisha Govt Abolishes Contractual Appointment Rules

Bhubaneswar: The month-long protest of Odisha government contractual employees got the essence of their hard work as the state government on Saturday announced that it has abolished the contractual appointment rules.

A decision in this regard was taken on Saturday in the State Cabinet headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The CM said that when he took over as the Chief Minister in 2000 the economy of the state was in very bad shape.

“The contractual recruitment system started in 2013. It was, too, a difficult decision for me. Now our economy has improved significantly. Odisha has created a new identity for itself in the field of development in the country. Last year, we substituted the contractual recruitment posts with the initial appointee,” said Patnaik.

He further said that the State Cabinet has decided to abolish the contractual system of recruitment permanently. “ Even today, there are no regular recruitments in many states and they are still continuing with the contractual recruitment system. But in Odisha, the era of contractual recruitment has come to an end. I was waiting for this moment. The notification will come out tomorrow. More than 57,000 employees will be benefited. The Government will spend approximately Rs1300 crore per annum. This decision brings early Diwali for their family members. Today, Odisha is moving ahead with confidence. A strong and empowered Odisha. This is a golden moment in the history of Odisha,” added Patnaik.

The Odisha Government Contractual Employees’ Association (OGCEA) had earlier staged a massive demonstration in Bhubaneswar in September demanding abolition of contractual appointment rules.

They alleged that despite having equal qualification and doing the same work as regular employees, the contractual staff are getting less pay than them. They also alleged that they are deprived of promotion, salary hike, DA or HRA as regular employees.

The contractual employees get appointed after clearing qualifying tests conducted by the Odisha Public Services Commission (OPSC). After working as contractual government employees for a period of six years on a meagre salary, their jobs get regularized. But the six years of work is not included in their service record.