Bhubaneswar: In a significant administrative move, the Odisha government on Monday withdrew the powers of Principals of government colleges and teacher education institutions to appoint non-teaching staff.

As per a notification issued by the Higher Education Department, the Regional Directors of Education will now serve as the appointing authorities for non-teaching (non-cadre) Group B, Group C and Group D posts in government colleges and teacher education institutions under their respective jurisdictions, with immediate effect.

Until now, these appointment powers were vested with the Principals of the concerned institutions. The latest order formally revokes those powers and centralises the recruitment process at the regional level.

Official sources said the decision has been taken to streamline recruitment and ensure greater transparency and uniformity in appointments across higher education institutions in the state.