Dikhyaa Mohanty 
The Odisha cabinet on Wednesday accepted a plan to implement a universal reservation mechanism for the direct recruitment of teachers across all public institutions in the state in order to standardize faculty hiring and foster inclusion. The Odisha State Public Universities (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Ordinance, 2025, which treats all universities as a single entity instead of the current department-wise reservation scheme, was made possible by the ruling. Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor jobs are also affected by this move.
Each cadre will retain a post-based roster under the new approach, guaranteeing uniformity and clarity in the application of reservation procedures across colleges. In addition to streamlining administrative processes and bringing Odisha’s universities into line with nationally recognized faculty recruitment practices, the reform is anticipated to improve representation of Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC), and other eligible groups.
As stated by Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj at recent workshops on the “Vikshit Odisha 2036” vision, the law also highlights the government’s commitment on fairness, openness, and social justice in academia. During the meeting, the Cabinet approved ten proposals from seven departments.
Five Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state would become Utkarsh ITIs (Centres of Excellence) in the skill sector. Puri, Balangir, Ambagupa in Koraput, Rajkanika in Kendrapada, and Rourkela in Sundargarh are the locations of the institutions chosen for the Utkarsh ITI Scheme. These ITIs will serve as zonal centers for advanced training, faculty development, evaluations, and innovation. They will contain state-of-the-art labs, smart classrooms, digital learning spaces, and modernized infrastructure.
