Bhubaneswar, May 28 (PTI) The cabinet of Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday approved the Odisha Artificial Intelligence Policy, 2025, and raised the age limit for applying for government jobs to 42 years.

The decisions were taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Majhi.

Also Read | Rahul Gandhi Sends Letter, Gifts to Dalit Student Ramkeval, First to Clear Class 10 Exam in His Village in Uttar Pradesh, Says 'Historic Occasion for Nizampur' (See Pics).

The cabinet passed five proposals of the Commerce & Transport, Electronics and Information Technology, Health and Family Welfare and Works and General Administration departments, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja told reporters after the meeting.

Noting that the state has made significant strides towards harnessing the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Ahuja said the new policy will help improve governance, stimulate innovation, enhance data-driven policy decision-making and enable inclusive socio-economic development.

Also Read | Kamal Haasan's 'Tamil Gave Birth to Kannada' Remarks: Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Protests Against Actor for His Statement on Kannada Language.

The policy outlines a clear roadmap built around the four foundational pillars of AI infrastructure, skills, energy, and regulatory frameworks, he said, adding that the new policy will provide a strategic blueprint for facilitating high-end computing capacity, enabling access to large, open datasets, fostering industry-academia collaboration, and sustainable and green AI deployment.

"Under the policy, a dedicated Odisha AI Mission will serve as the apex institutional mechanism to implement AI initiatives across departments, coordinate pilot projects and provide support to public agencies, startups, and academic institutions," he said.

With this policy, Odisha seeks to position itself as a leading hub for allied public innovation, AI startups, and export-ready AI solutions, he said.

Ahuja said the cabinet also approved raising the age limit for applying for government service to 42 years from 32 years with an aim to provide ample opportunity to overaged aspirants to participate in different recruitment examinations.

"The age limit shall further be relaxable in case of ST/SC/SEBC/Women//Ex-servicemen and PwDs as prescribed by the government," he said.

The cabinet also gave it nod to the concession agreement to be signed between the Odisha government and JSW Utkal Steel Limited for the development of a captive jetty at Jatadhar Muhan in Jagatsinghpur.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)