Odisha Civil Services Exam 2025: No OAS Posts, Aspirants Frustrated but Still Hopeful

Bhubaneswar:
For thousands of young aspirants across Odisha, the release of the Odisha Civil Services Examination (OCSE)–2025 notification has brought more disappointment than relief. While the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) has announced recruitment for 314 posts across seven services, the most preferred options—Odisha Administrative Service (OAS), Odisha Finance Service (OFS), and Odisha Revenue Service (ORS)—are missing from the list.

For many candidates, years of preparation are driven by the dream of becoming an OAS officer. The absence of even a single post in these services has left aspirants shocked and anxious about their future.

As per the notification, online applications will open on January 20, and the preliminary examination is tentatively scheduled for June 7.

Why Are There No OAS, OFS or ORS Posts?

Official sources said the absence of OAS, OFS, and ORS vacancies is linked to pending promotions and administrative bottlenecks:

• Over 300 OAS officers are awaiting promotion, preventing senior-level posts from being vacated.

• Due to this backlog, no fresh entry-level OAS vacancies could be reported for direct recruitment.

• Disputes related to the Odisha Civil Services Model Cadre Rules have resulted in court cases, further delaying promotions.

• The Revenue and Finance Departments have cited these pending cases to stall promotions, directly affecting vacancy calculations.

Because promotions have not been completed, the General Administration Department informed OPSC that there are zero vacancies in OAS, OFS, and ORS for the 2025 examination.

What Vacancies Are Available?

While the most preferred services are missing, recruitment has been announced in other departments. Of the 314 total posts:

• 176 posts are for Odisha Taxation and Accounts Service (OTAS)

• 80 posts are in the Odisha Excise Service

• 32 posts are in the Odisha Labour Service

• 12 posts are for the Odisha Police Service (OPS)

• Smaller numbers are available in Cooperative, Skill Development & Employment, and Welfare Services

Officials say 115 posts are being carried forward from earlier years because selected candidates did not join, while 199 posts became vacant due to retirements.

Yet, aspirants point out that vacancies existing on paper mean little when their preferred services remain closed.

What OPSC Says

Responding to the criticism, Arun Sadangi, Chairman of OPSC, said the commission has followed procedure. He clarified that OPSC issues notifications only on the basis of vacancy data submitted by the General Administration Department, which clearly mentioned that OAS, OFS, and ORS posts were not available this year.

Aspirants’ Response: 

Among aspirants, reactions have sharply diverged.

A section of candidates said they are considering skipping the 2025 attempt altogether, as their preparation was focused solely on OAS, OFS, and ORS. Many feel attempting the exam without these services offers limited motivation after years of focused preparation.

At the same time, several student and aspirant groups have begun mobilising for protests, demanding immediate resolution of the promotion backlog and inclusion of OAS posts through a corrigendum. These groups argue that administrative delays should not come at the cost of aspirants’ careers.

However, another section of aspirants continues preparation, holding on to the hope that with applications starting on January 20 and the exam scheduled for June 7, the government may still act in time.

For now, Odisha’s civil services aspirants remain divided—some stepping back, some preparing to protest, and others waiting with cautious optimism—as uncertainty clouds the 2025 examination.