On the 80th Independence Day, 15 August 2026, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi stood at the state-level celebration in Bhubaneswar and delivered two announcements that will directly reshape life for hundreds of thousands of students and civil services aspirants across the state — free textbooks extended to Classes IX and X, and the six-attempt cap on the Odisha Civil Services Examination abolished outright.

Textbooks for Class IX and X: closing the last gap

Odisha has long supplied free textbooks to government school students up to Class VIII. The gap at the secondary level — Classes IX and X — meant that families whose children had cleared the primary hurdle still faced out-of-pocket costs precisely when dropout pressure tends to peak. CM Majhi's announcement plugs that gap entirely, extending the state's free-textbook programme to cover every year of compulsory schooling.

The move follows a well-worn pattern in Indian state governance: incremental expansions of welfare schemes announced from the Independence Day podium, where the symbolism of the occasion amplifies the political weight of the pledge. For Odisha, a state where government school enrolment remains significant and household incomes in rural districts are tightly stretched, removing even one recurring cost at the Class IX threshold carries real material consequence.

Unlimited attempts for OPSC: a ceiling removed

The second announcement landed harder for a different constituency. Until now, candidates for the Odisha Civil Services Examination — conducted by the Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) — were permitted a maximum of six attempts. CM Majhi declared that cap abolished; aspirants will now be eligible to sit the exam as many times as they choose, up to the prescribed upper age limit.

Attempt-limit rules have long been a flashpoint in state-level civil services recruitment. Critics argue that a six-attempt ceiling disproportionately penalises candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds who may enter preparation late or lack access to quality coaching. Several other states have already moved to age-only eligibility frameworks. Odisha now joins that group — a signal the BJP-led government that took office in June 2024 is willing to use administrative levers to court the aspirational middle-class and first-generation government-job seekers who form a politically significant bloc.

What comes next for implementation

The announcements now move from the podium to the paperwork. Watchers will track updated OPSC examination notifications formally removing the attempt cap, and Odisha School Education Department procurement orders to supply textbooks to Classes IX and X ahead of the next academic session. Both measures require administrative follow-through before aspirants and students see the change on the ground.

CM Majhi also paid tribute at the event to the freedom fighters who gave their lives for the country's independence and integrity — grounding the policy announcements in the moral register the occasion demands.

Two announcements, two constituencies, one Independence Day address — and now the hard work of turning pledges into policy begins.