The deepening employment crisis in Odisha was laid bare on Sunday as more than 4,000 candidates sat for a written exam for just 102 Home Guard positions in Jharsuguda district. The overwhelming turnout highlights a desperate search for stable work among the state's youth.
According to official sources, 4,040 aspirants took the test held at the Odisha Special Armed Police (OSAP) Battalion ground. With roughly 40 candidates competing for every single opening, the recruitment drive underscored the intense competition for even temporary, low-paying government-linked roles.
Despite the minimum educational requirement being only Class 5, the crowd was filled with graduates, postgraduates, and technically qualified applicants. Many candidates said they felt forced to apply due to a lack of private-sector jobs, delayed government recruitment, and few other alternatives.
Several aspirants described the move as one driven by economic survival rather than career choice, reflecting the immense pressure educated youth face in securing a livelihood.
A Statewide Pattern
Jharsuguda is not an isolated case. Similar scenes have played out across Odisha recently:
In Sambalpur, around 8,000 candidates competed for 187 Home Guard posts. In Rourkela, applicants included B.Tech graduates and those with double Master's degrees.
These trends point to a statewide challenge where highly overqualified youths are increasingly competing for entry-level posts because better opportunities simply do not exist.
Experts and job seekers alike say the situation requires urgent policy changes, including faster recruitment cycles and more aggressive job creation in both the public and private sectors.
(With inputs from Kumar Dev)
