Odisha plans forced retirement for inefficient government staff

In a move aimed at strengthening accountability in governance, Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja has called for the compulsory retirement of inefficient and incompetent government officers and employees. 

The directive came during a high-level meeting of secretaries held at Lok Seva Bhawan on Tuesday.

Presiding over the meeting, Ahuja stressed the importance of performance reviews at multiple departmental levels to assess the effectiveness of government functionaries. 

Officers and staff who are found to be underperforming or incapable of carrying out their duties efficiently will be considered for forced retirement. 

He directed officials to implement the existing guidelines issued by the General Administration and Public Grievance Department regarding this process.

The Chief Secretary stated that strong administrative action is necessary to ensure that public service delivery is not compromised by inefficiency. 

He emphasised the importance of activating inter-departmental working groups to ensure coordinated implementation of the Odisha Vision Document, which outlines the state’s development goals.

In another key directive, all departments were instructed to submit updated data on vacant positions by July 31. 

This will help the administration take timely decisions on recruitment and optimise workforce deployment, he said.