Home Guard Recruitment Test In Odisha Sparks Debate Over Unemployment In Country

Sambalpur: Huge turnout of job aspirants for the Home Guard recruitment examination in Odisha’s Sambalpur district has sparked a political debate with the Congress terming it as evidence of rising unemployment in the country.

A video that went viral on social media shows thousands of candidates writing the exam for recruitment of 187 Home Guard posts on December 16 under open sky at Hirakud airstrip. According to police, over 8,000 candidates appeared for the test.

The controversy erupted after Sambalpur Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Bhamu shared drone visuals of the examination on social media platform X, showcasing the large gathering of candidates. The video was widely circulated online following which the Congress termed it as evidence of rising unemployment in the country.

Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Charan Das expressed concern over the situation, describing it as a “sad state of affairs for the unemployed youth of the state.”

The Hirakud airstrip was chosen as the examination venue to ensure smooth, organised and hassle-free conduct of the test, police said. Adequate security and administrative arrangements were in place and that the examination was conducted peacefully without any untoward incident, it added.

Rejecting the Opposition’s allegations, BJP state spokesperson Manas Ranjan Buxi termed the criticism as baseless and politically motivated. “The Congress is raising the issue only because it lacks real political issues. Government jobs have always been the first preference for educated youth. If candidates do not succeed, they explore other avenues such as private employment or entrepreneurship. This is not a new phenomenon in India,” he said.

Buxi further claimed that the employment situation had been worse in previous years and had shown improvement recently, accusing the Opposition of attempting to politicise a routine recruitment process. Sources revealed that despite the minimum educational qualification for the Home Guard post being Class V, a significant number of highly educated candidates appeared for the examination.

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