Jharsuguda: More than 4,000 aspirants, including postgraduates, appeared for a written examination for just 102 Home Guard posts in Odisha’s Jharsuguda on Sunday, highlighting the unemployment crisis in the state.
Sources said a total of 4,040 candidates turned up for the written test held at the Odisha Special Armed Police (OSAP) Battalion ground. As the test was for only 102 vacancies, the competition was quite stiff, showing the desperation among job seekers.
Though the minimum educational qualification for the Home Guard position is fifth grade, many highly educated aspirants, including graduates and postgraduates, appeared for the test, sources said.
According to the recruitment process, 1,010 candidates will be shortlisted after the written examination to appear for the physical efficiency test. The final selection will be made after evaluating performance in both stages.
Several candidates, including graduates and technically qualified youths, admitted that trying for Home Guard posts was a matter of survival rather than choice. Highly limited number of private-sector opportunities and delayed government recruitments forced them to apply for these posts, they claimed.
Similarly scenes were witnessed in Sambalpur recently when over 8,000 candidates appeared for just 187 Home Guard posts at an airstrip.
