The Indian state of Odisha’s government announced that it is abolishing the contractual recruitment system which had been in place since 2013, reports The Hindu. As a result of the decision by the State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik, jobs of over 57,000 contractual employees will be regularised. The State will have to spend INR 13 billion (USD 157.8 million) annually for regularising jobs. The Odisha Chief Minister said the decision to end contractual employment was taken in the wake of improvement in the state’s financial position.

“The contractual recruitment system started in 2013. It was also a difficult decision for me. Now, our economy has improved significantly. Odisha has created a new identity for itself in the field of development in the country. Last year, we substituted the contractual recruitment posts with initial appointees,” Patnaik said. Under the contractual system, new recruits were forced to work as contractual employees before becoming eligible for regular jobs. Teachers were being recruited as teaching assistants and their jobs were regularised upon completion of six years.