Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on 15 August 2025 announced the removal of the six-attempt ceiling on the Odisha Civil Services Examination and the extension of free textbooks to students of Classes 9 and 10, delivering a string of education, youth, and agriculture announcements in his Independence Day address at Bhubaneswar. The moves signal a clear policy push by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government to broaden access to competitive examinations and reduce the financial burden on secondary school students.

Key Announcements on Education

Until now, free textbooks in Odisha government schools were limited to students up to Class 8. Chief Minister Majhi declared that the benefit will now extend to Classes 9 and 10, covering a critical stage where dropout rates tend to spike due to cost pressures. He also announced the establishment of 18 new government colleges in remote districts and four new universities across the state, aiming to improve access to higher education in underserved regions.

On the civil services front, the scrapping of the six-attempt cap is a significant concession to aspirants who had long lobbied for parity with the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which does not impose a blanket attempt limit beyond age. 'From now on, candidates will be allowed to appear for the examination up to the prescribed upper age limit,' Majhi said.

Farmers and Agri-Stack Clarification

Chief Minister Majhi used the occasion to address what he described as deliberate confusion over Agri-Stack registration and its link to paddy procurement. He stated categorically that Agri-Stack registration has no connection to the P-PAS registration required for paddy procurement. 'As every year, P-PAS registration will be carried out this year as well, and the paddy procurement programme will be conducted on that basis,' he said, seeking to reassure the state's farming community ahead of the kharif season.

The clarification comes amid reported anxiety among farmers that failure to register on the Agri-Stack digital platform could disqualify them from the state's paddy procurement programme — a concern the Chief Minister sought to dispel directly.

Youth Employment and Industrial Push

Addressing the state's youth, Majhi reaffirmed the government's commitment to generating employment by accelerating industrial investment in Odisha. He also cautioned young people against being 'misled by vested interest groups, both inside the country and outside,' urging them to stay focused on their careers. The remarks, while not directed at any specific group, reflect a broader concern among state governments about misinformation campaigns targeting youth.

Vision for Odisha by 2036 and 2047

Chief Minister Majhi outlined a twin-horizon vision: a 'prosperous Odisha' by 2036 and a 'developed Odisha' aligned with India's Viksit Bharat goal by 2047. He described the coming decade as 'Odisha's decade,' framing the current government's initiatives as foundational steps toward that trajectory. He also paid tribute to freedom fighters including Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Bhagat Singh, and highlighted Odisha-specific episodes of the independence movement such as the Ghumusar Rebellion, the Praja Mandal movement, the Kandha Rebellion, the Sambalpur Rebellion, the Bhuyan Rebellion in Keonjhar, and the tribal uprisings in Koraput.

The announcements are the most substantive set of policy declarations from the Majhi government since it came to power, and their implementation timelines will be closely watched by educators, farmers, and civil services aspirants alike.