Bhubaneswar, Jan 16: In a significant relief for job-aspiring government employees, the Odisha government has issued a new directive allowing officers and staff working under the General Administration & Public Grievance (GA & PG) Department to apply for other government jobs without seeking repeated No Objection Certificates (NOCs).

Under the revised guidelines, the state government has granted a standing or permanent permission to eligible employees, enabling them to apply directly for recruitment examinations conducted by bodies such as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC), Staff Selection Board (SSB), Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC) and Odisha Sub-ordinate Staff Selection Commission (OSSSC).

Previously, government employees were required to obtain a separate NOC from their department for every individual application, a process that was often time-consuming and added to routine administrative paperwork. Officials said the new decision aims to reduce unnecessary file movement and ease procedural delays.

However, the order makes it clear that employees must still obtain prior leave approval and permission to leave headquarters from the competent authority before appearing for any examination. For this purpose, employees will be required to submit their admit cards as proof.

The government has also clarified that while employees can apply for and appear in examinations freely under the standing permission, formal departmental approval will remain mandatory at the time of joining a new post. Employees selected for another government position must seek official permission to be relieved from their current post.

The directive further states that the government retains the authority to decline the release of an employee from their existing position if administrative exigencies so require.

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Officials said the move is expected to benefit a large number of government employees preparing for competitive examinations while ensuring that administrative discipline and service requirements are maintained.