Odisha lifts six-attempt cap on Civil Services exam, raises age limit to 42

Odisha has scrapped the six-attempt limit for candidates appearing in the Odisha Civil Services (OCS) examination. Under the revised rules, general category aspirants are now permitted to sit the exam as many times as they wish until they reach the upper age limit of 42 years. The change is expected to benefit a large number of unreserved-category candidates who were previously barred after exhausting their attempts. In addition, the state government announced an expansion of free textbook distribution to students in Classes IX and X. Authorities also outlined plans to further strengthen the school education system across the state.