Rourkela: In a telling sign of Odisha’s growing employment crisis, thousands of highly educated youth — including BTech, MBA graduates, and diploma holders — turned up for a recruitment exam Monday for just 107 Home Guard posts in Rourkela police district, a job requiring only a Class V qualification.
According to officials, 9,061 candidates applied for the posts under 22 police stations. Of them, 7,484 appeared for the exam held at Ispat Stadium in Sector-6, while 1,577 remained absent.
Aspirants began arriving at the venue from as early as 5am, carrying admit cards and documents. The examination was held in two phases, an Odia writing test from 7am to 8am, followed by a general knowledge test from 8:30am to 9:30am.
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Despite the low eligibility threshold, the turnout included numerous candidates with degrees in engineering, management, and technical fields.
“I never imagined applying for a job meant for someone with just a Class V pass certificate,” said Ashish Rath, a BTech graduate. “But there are barely any suitable jobs in the market. I have been jobless for two years — this is a last resort,” said Rath.
The recruitment drive was conducted under tight security. Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani personally supervised the exam site. Ten platoons of police force were deployed, along with three additional SPs, seven DSPs, 17 inspectors, four sub-inspectors, and 100 home guards. After the exam, answer sheets were transported under high security to the police headquarters.
Rourkela DSP Ramakant Sahu said the results would be declared within 10 days. Qualified candidates will receive individual intimation letters for the next phase — a medical examination.
The selected home guards will earn a daily wage of Rs 612, translating to about Rs 18,360 per month. Though modest, the pay has not deterred highly qualified candidates, shedding light on the alarming mismatch between education levels and job opportunities.
The overwhelming turnout has sparked debate over the state’s employment scenario and raised questions about the effectiveness of existing job creation policies.
PNN
