BHUBANESWAR: The state government has appointed former DGP of Jammu & Kashmir Rashmi Ranjan Swain as the first chairman of the newly-constituted Odisha Uniformed Services Staff Selection Commission (OUSSSC).
Swain, a retired IPS officer of the 1991 batch, brings extensive experience in policing and security administration. He had served as the DGP of Jammu & Kashmir and earlier held several key positions in the intelligence and security establishment.
The state government established a dedicated recruitment body on December 5, 2025 for uniformed personnel of Home, Excise, Forest, Environment & Climate Change and Commerce & Transport departments to streamline and professionalise the selection process for posts such as constables, sepoys, fire service personnel and other lower-ranked uniformed staff.
Until now, recruitment for these posts was conducted through different agencies, primarily department-level recruitment boards which was often marred by unfair practices. The state government’s decision for a separate commission came in the wake of the SI recruitment scam last year leading to arrest of many people including 114 job aspirants.
The growing demand for transparency, faster recruitment and specialized testing mechanisms prompted the government to set up a separate commission exclusively for uniformed services. As per provisioins of the 2025 Rules, the Commission is to comprise a chairman and two members.