8,000 aspirants, some with MBA degrees, take test for 187 Odisha home guard posts; TMC slams BJP

Bhubaneswar, Dec 19 (PTI) The Trinamool Congress on Friday slammed the ruling BJP of Odisha, asserting that over 8,000 candidates, some qualified with MBA and MCA degrees, have appeared for a recent examination in Sambalpur to compete for just 187 Home Guard posts.

The Home Guards in Odisha receive a daily allowance of Rs 639, an official said.

Keeping in view the large number of candidates, the Sambalpur district police held the written test at the airstrip that is hardly used.

“To conduct a smooth recruitment, the police deployed additional force along with drones for aerial monitoring of the venue and to ensure discipline,” said a senior official.

As photos and videos of the recruitment test being held at the airstrip on December 16 went viral on social media, the TMC criticised the state’s BJP government over the state’s employment issue.

Attaching a video of the recruitment rest, the TMC in an X post said, “This is not a movie scene. This is BJP-ruled Odisha. Where more than 8,000 aspirants, including MBA & MCA graduates, were lining up for just 187 Home Guard vacancies.

"This is the brutal reality of @BJP4India’s so-called double engine governance. Degrees in hand. Jobs nowhere. Unemployment isn’t an accident; it’s BJP’s achievement.” While the candidates reported for the examination at 6 am, they were provided with question papers at 9 am, an official said.

The written test comprised a 20-mark paragraph writing exercise and a 30-mark general knowledge test, which lasted an hour, they said.

Odisha BJP is yet to respond to the TMC’s criticism. PTI AAM NN