Odisha raises retirement age of govt employees

The Odisha government decided to raise the retirement age limit of its employees from 58 years to 60 years. The State Cabinet on Wednesday approved the proposal. The decision comes into force with immediate effect.

The announcement was made in the Odisha Assembly by Health and Family Welfare minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.

The decision to raise the retirement age will benefit about five lakh employees, but it will also have a cascading effect on the State Budget.

The State Government’s decision will have a huge impact on the employment scene even as it had announced to recruit 40,000 youths within six months. As it is, the unemployment rate in the State has been on the rise due to freeze on government recruitment since 1999.

The State Govt may not have to bear additional expenditure towards pension for the next two years, but the outgo towards pensionary benefits for those who will retire after two years will be more as they will be drawing higher salary than what they are drawing now.

Early this week, the government had increased the retirement age of government doctors working in periphery hospitals from 60 to 62 years. Last year, retirement age of doctors who are teaching went up from 60 to 65 years.

Odisha government employees, however, reacted on predictable lines. Welcoming the move, Odisha Secretariat Association president Chittaranjan Hota said: “A number of posts are lying vacant. It will take time for the government to fill up the posts.”