Bhubaneswar, Aug 24 (IANS): As many as 167 Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFS) posts are lying vacant in Odisha, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Monday.

The chief minister said of the total 555 sanctioned posts, 167 posts are lying vacant in the state.

There are 182 IAS officers against the sanctioned strength of 226 in Odisha, 106 IPS officers against 188 sanctioned posts and 100 IFS officers against the sanctioned strength of 141, he informed the Odisha assembly.

He said 71 officers are out of the state due to their central deputations and inter-state postings.

Similarly, 310 posts are lying vacant against 1,416 sanctioned posts in the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS).

Against the total sanctioned 582 Odisha Police Service (OPS) posts, 94 are vacant, he informed.

As many as 101 posts have fallen vacant out of 709 posts in the Odisha Finance Service and 494 posts out of 979 posts in the Odisha Forest Service are vacant, Patnaik said.