Bhubaneswar: The scale of job desperation in Odisha was on full display on Sunday as more than 3,200 candidates turned up to compete for just 102 home guard posts in Jharsuguda, despite the role requiring only a Class 5 qualification.
Officials said that out of 4,040 applicants, over 3,200 aspirants appeared for the written examination. What stood out was the profile of many candidates—graduates and even postgraduates—lining up for a temporary position that pays ₹623 per day.
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Low qualification, massive turnout
The home guard role, which comes under the Odisha Police and is considered a temporary service, requires minimal educational qualification. Yet the turnout reflected a deeper issue: limited stable employment options pushing highly educated youth towards low-paying government-linked jobs.
From the candidates who appeared on Sunday, 1,010 will be shortlisted for the physical test, officials confirmed. Final selection will be based on combined performance in the written and physical rounds.
Not an isolated incident
Jharsuguda is not alone. Similar scenes have played out across western Odisha in recent weeks.
In Sambalpur, nearly 8,000 candidates appeared for just 187 home guard posts at the Jamadarpali airstrip, with visuals of long queues going viral online. Meanwhile, Rourkela witnessed close to 9,000 aspirants writing an exam for 202 posts.
The images—thousands of young men standing in open grounds under the sun—have sparked widespread discussion on social media about unemployment and the growing gap between education and available jobs.
Bigger questions on employment
While officials maintain that recruitment processes are being conducted smoothly, the overwhelming response raises uncomfortable questions about job creation, especially in smaller cities and industrial belts of Odisha.
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For many aspirants, even a short-term government role offers more security than the uncertain private job market. As one candidate at the Jharsuguda centre put it quietly, “Any job is better than no job.”
With similar recruitments drawing massive crowds, these scenes are fast becoming a stark marker of India’s grassroots employment challenge.
