Forest Department Holds RACP Adalat in Bhubaneswar to Address Employee Grievances

Bhubaneswar: The Forest, Environment, and Climate Change Department of Odisha conducted the RACP Adalat at Aranya Bhavan Conference Hall today, providing a crucial platform for addressing the grievances of retired and working employees deprived of benefits under the Revised Assured Career Progression (RACP) Scheme.

The meeting was chaired by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Odisha, Devidutt Biswal, alongside RACP Adalat Committee Chairman and Additional Secretary Deben Pradhan. Special Secretary Dharam Hansda, Additional Secretary Usharani Das, Senior Administrative Officer Sabita Mallick, and Joint Secretary Dinakrishna Kar, who also serves as the Committee’s member-convenor, were present at the session.

Biswal stated that the RACP Adalat was convened following directives from the Hon’ble High Court of Odisha and the Chief Secretary, Odisha. He emphasized that both retired and working forest department employees who have been deprived of their RACP benefits could seek redressal through this forum.

Addressing the participants, Deben Pradhan highlighted that this was the first meeting of the RACP Adalat Committee, established to expedite justice for government employees without requiring them to approach the courts. Employees were required to submit their applications along with supporting documents, following which the concerned officers would be directed to resolve their grievances within a month. He assured applicants that they need not pursue legal action, as their concerns would be addressed through the department’s intervention.

A total of 162 applications were received during today’s Adalat from employees across various regions, including Angul, Baripada, Berhampur, and Bhawanipatna, as well as all Chief Conservator of Forests (Kendu Leaf) circles. The Committee has set a one-month deadline for the resolution of these cases. For employees from remaining circles, the next RACP Adalat session has been scheduled for February 27.