The OPSC Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Recruitment 2026 is finally here. If you are a veterinary graduate in Odisha who has been waiting for a government opening, this is the notification you have been watching for.
The Odisha Public Service Commission has opened 436 posts for Veterinary Assistant Surgeon and there is an important detail most people are getting wrong about these vacancies.
We will get to that.
First, the facts you actually need.
The short version (for people in a hurry)
The Odisha Public Service Commission (OPSC) is recruiting for 436 Veterinary Assistant Surgeon / Additional Veterinary Assistant Surgeon posts under Advertisement No. 04 of 2026-27. These are Group A (Junior Branch-II) posts in the Odisha Veterinary Service, under the Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (ARD) Department.
The online application window runs from 24 July 2026 to 24 August 2026 (5:00 PM), the fee is ₹700 (with exemptions), and the written exam is scheduled for 26 September 2026.
You can apply only at opsc.gov.in.
That is the essential information.
If you want the parts that most job pages skip the reservation breakup, the “backlog” catch, and how this fits with the two other OPSC notifications released the same day, then keep reading.
What the OPSC Veterinary Assistant Surgeon Recruitment 2026 Actually Announced
Here is something worth being careful about. When we checked the coverage of this recruitment across several job portals, a number of them lumped everything together and reported it as “436 posts, graduate qualification, MCQ exam.” That is not accurate, and if you apply on that basis you could waste your one shot.
What OPSC actually released on 18 July 2026 (Notice No. 4195/PSC) was three separate advertisements on the same day:
| Advertisement | Post | Vacancies |
| Advt. No. 04 of 2026-27 | Veterinary Assistant Surgeon / Additional VAS | 436 |
| Advt. No. 05 of 2026-27 | Assistant Fisheries Officer (Special Drive) | 44 |
| Advt. No. 06 of 2026-27 | Assistant Horticulture Officer | 22 |
So the “502 posts” figure you may have seen is the total across all three. But each one is a different job, a different qualification, and a different application form.
This article is about Advertisement No. 04. The 436 Veterinary Assistant Surgeon posts. If you are a fisheries or horticulture graduate, you want Advt. 05 or 06 instead, and you will need to fill a separate form for each.
The “backlog vacancy” detail that decides whether you can even apply
This is the part that matters most, and it is why the qualification confusion above is dangerous.
All 436 of these Veterinary Assistant Surgeon posts are backlog vacancies, meaning they are reserved seats that went unfilled in earlier drives and are now being filled specifically for reserved categories.
The category-wise breakup is:
- Scheduled Tribe (ST): 233 posts
- Scheduled Caste (SC): 141 posts
- SEBC: 62 posts
- Of the total, 144 posts are reserved for women across categories.
Read that carefully.
Because these are backlog posts, there is no unreserved (UR / general) quota in this particular advertisement. If you are a general-category candidate, this specific notification is not for you and no job portal that just prints “436 posts, apply now” will tell you that.
It is exactly the kind of thing that leads someone to pay the fee, fill the form, and get rejected at verification.
Eligibility: who can apply
To be eligible for the Veterinary Assistant Surgeon post, you generally need:
- Educational qualification: A degree in Veterinary Science recognized for registration under the relevant Veterinary Council rules. (This is a professional veterinary qualification, not a general B.Sc. Always confirm the exact wording in the official PDF.)
- Category: ST, SC or SEBC, as this is a backlog/reserved recruitment.
- Age limit: As specified in the notification. Age relaxations apply for reserved categories, women, and PwD candidates per Odisha rules. Confirm your exact cut-off date in the notification before assuming you qualify.
Because eligibility here is unusually specific, the golden rule applies more than ever: open the official notification PDF and read the eligibility section yourself before you spend a rupee on the application.
Salary: what the job actually pays
The Veterinary Assistant Surgeon post carries a Level 12 pay of ₹56,100 (basic), in accordance with the ORSP Rules, 2017, plus applicable allowances. As a Group A gazetted state service post, it also comes with the job security, pension structure and career progression that make OPSC roles so sought-after. For a fresh veterinary graduate, this is a strong entry point into the state service.
Important dates at a glance
| Event | Date |
| Notification released | 18 July 2026 |
| Online registration & application opens | 24 July 2026 |
| Last date to apply (online) | 24 August 2026, 5:00 PM |
| Written examination | 26 September 2026 |
A practical warning from experience: do not wait for the last two days. OPSC‘s portal, like every government portal, slows to a crawl in the final 48 hours as thousands of candidates rush in. Aim to finish by around 20 August.
Application fee
The examination fee is ₹700. Candidates belonging to SC, ST and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) categories are exempt from paying the fee. Payment is made online through net banking, cards or UPI/wallets during the application process.
How to apply — step by step
The process runs entirely online at opsc.gov.in.
Here is the sequence:
- Go to the official OPSC website, opsc.gov.in, and open the online application / notice section.
- Select the entry for Advertisement No. 04 of 2026-27 (Veterinary Assistant Surgeon). Do not pick the fisheries or horticulture advert by mistake.
- Register using a valid email address and mobile number. OPSC will generate a Permanent Public Service Account Number for you, save it; you will reuse it for future OPSC applications.
- Log back in and fill your personal, educational and category details carefully.
- Upload your scanned photograph, full signature, and left-hand thumb impression, plus your caste/category certificate and any other required documents.
- Pay the ₹700 fee (unless exempt).
- Preview everything, one wrong category or date here can cost you the job, then submit.
- Download and print your submitted application and account details for your records.
Documents to keep ready before you start
Save yourself the mid-application panic and scan these in advance: recent passport-size photograph, full signature, left-hand thumb impression, your veterinary degree certificate and marksheets, valid caste/community certificate (ST/SC/SEBC), and any PwD or other applicable certificate. Government portals frequently reject uploads for being the wrong size or format, so prepare clean, correctly-sized scans.
How we verified this information
Since this is your money, your certificates and your one application attempt on the line, here is exactly how we confirmed every figure in this article rather than copying another website:
We started from the notification listing on the official OPSC portal, opsc.gov.in, which lists Advertisements 04, 05 and 06 of 2026-27 separately. We then cross-checked the vacancy count, the backlog category breakup (ST 233 / SC 141 / SEBC 62), the ₹56,100 Level-12 salary and the 24 July–24 August window against multiple independent recruitment trackers. Where a widely-shared local post had merged the three adverts into one “436-post graduate MCQ” listing with a conflicting last date, we went back to the official notice number (4195/PSC, dated 18.07.2026) to resolve the discrepancy, which is why our post-wise and category-wise figures differ from some of the quick-copy versions circulating on social media.
We are still an independent news platform and not affiliated with OPSC. Recruitment details can be corrected or extended by the Commission at any time, so the official PDF on opsc.gov.in always overrides anything you read here.
Frequently asked questions
Is OPSC Veterinary Assistant Surgeon 2026 open for general category candidates? No. All 436 posts under Advertisement No. 04 of 2026-27 are backlog vacancies reserved for ST, SC and SEBC candidates. There is no unreserved quota in this particular advertisement.
What is the last date to apply? The online application closes on 24 August 2026 at 5:00 PM.
What is the salary of a Veterinary Assistant Surgeon in Odisha? The post carries Level 12 pay with a basic of ₹56,100 under the ORSP Rules, 2017, plus allowances.
How many posts are reserved for women? 144 of the 436 posts are reserved for women across the eligible categories.
Is the 502-post figure correct? 502 is the combined total of three separate OPSC advertisements released the same day — Veterinary (436), Fisheries (44) and Horticulture (22). Each requires a separate application.
Where do I apply? Only at the official website, opsc.gov.in. Ignore any third-party link claiming to accept OPSC applications.
Bottom line
For eligible ST, SC and SEBC veterinary graduates in Odisha, this is a genuine, well-paid entry into the state government service — 436 Group A posts with a ₹56,100 salary and a clear September exam date. The single most important thing you can do is open the official Advertisement No. 04 PDF on opsc.gov.in, confirm your category eligibility and age, and apply well before the 24 August deadline. Don’t rely on the merged “436 graduate posts” version doing the rounds, the details matter here more than usual.
Stay updated: We track every OPSC, OSSC and OSSSC notification for Odisha aspirants and post verified details the moment they are confirmed. Join our WhatsApp channel / bookmark News Odia 365 so you don’t miss the next one including the Fisheries (Advt. 05) and Horticulture (Advt. 06) recruitments running alongside this one.