### Desperation on the Airstrip: 9,000 Youth Queue for 183 Home Guard Jobs in Odisha, Spotlighting India's Deepening Unemployment Woes
**Bhubaneswar, December 20, 2025** – In a scene that could easily be mistaken for a mass pilgrimage, nearly 9,000 jobless youth from across Odisha converged on a dusty airstrip in Sambalpur district this week, all hoping to snag one of just 183 Home Guard positions. What unfolded was not just a recruitment exam but a grim tableau of India's faltering job market—one where engineers, MBAs, and graduates jostle shoulder-to-shoulder with school dropouts for low-wage roles that barely cover basic needs.
The recruitment drive, organized by the Sambalpur police on December 16, transformed the abandoned Jamadarpali airstrip into an impromptu examination center to accommodate the overwhelming turnout. Candidates began queuing as early as 6 a.m., enduring hours under the winter sun before sitting for a modest written test: a 30-minute paragraph-writing exercise worth 20 marks and a one-hour general knowledge paper worth 30 marks. The minimum eligibility? A mere Class V pass. Yet, among the throng were overqualified applicants—IT professionals, diploma holders, and even M.Tech graduates—willing to trade their skills for a daily wage of Rs 612 (about $7.30), translating to a monthly honorarium of Rs 18,360.
No major incidents marred the event, with police, sub-inspectors, and over 100 Home Guards maintaining order amid the sea of hopeful faces. A viral video capturing the endless lines has since racked up millions of views on social media, sparking a national conversation on youth despair. "This isn’t just an exam—it’s a mirror to record unemployment and the Modi govt’s jobless policies," tweeted Mir Quadeer Sultan, a youth coordinator from Telangana, encapsulating the frustration rippling across platforms. Another user, Patrick O Haokip, called it "proof of the Modi government's failure," lamenting the lack of mainstream media coverage.
On the surface, the numbers are staggering: a competition ratio of nearly 49 applicants per vacancy. But zoom out, and it paints a broader indictment of India's employment ecosystem. The Home Guard roles—meant to assist in routine policing, traffic management, and basic administrative tasks across 24 local stations—offer little in the way of career progression or financial security. For many attendees, it was a last resort after years of fruitless job hunts in a state where industrial growth lags behind population pressures.
Odisha's official unemployment rate has dipped to historic lows in recent months, thanks to government initiatives curbing migration and boosting local hiring. Yet, this masks the crisis among the educated young. Nationally, India's overall unemployment rate fell to 4.7% in November 2025—the lowest since April—but youth joblessness (ages 15-29) hovers at a troubling 14.1%, nearly three times the average. Among graduates, the figure soars to as high as 65.7%, a near-doubling from two decades ago, as universities churn out over 10 million graduates annually while formal job creation stalls.
"This is more than a recruitment headline; it is a stark indictment of the collapsing job and education ecosystem," noted one social media observer, echoing sentiments from The Sentinel Assam. Critics point to a mismatch between skills taught in classrooms and those demanded by a gig-heavy, automation-driven economy. In Odisha, where agriculture and mining dominate but formal sector jobs are scarce, the ripple effects are acute: rising mental health issues, delayed marriages, and even migration spikes despite state efforts.
Government officials have yet to issue a formal response to the Sambalpur spectacle, but similar drives elsewhere underscore the pattern. In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently announced recruitment for 45,000 Home Guards, while Bihar eyes over 15,000 such posts in 2026—band-aid measures for a gaping wound. Economists argue for bolder reforms: vocational training tied to industry needs, incentives for private hiring, and a rethink of higher education's one-size-fits-all model.
As the sun set on the Sambalpur airstrip that Tuesday, most of the 9,000 left empty-handed, their dreams deferred once more. For India's youth—its supposed demographic dividend—this queue may be the new normal, a painful reminder that opportunity remains as elusive as a steady paycheck.
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