Egg on face, govt to return Rs 100 fee to 40, 000 BPUT job seekers

Bhubaneswar: Two years after launching a Special Recruitment Drive to offer employment assistance to engineering students of the Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), the State government is finally refunding their registration money after miserably failing to provide jobs to students registered under the initiative.

The Skill Development and Technical Education department has written to the vice-chancellor of BPUT aksing him to refund the registration fees taken from the university affiliated students to provide placement assistance under the special recruitment drive.

Protesting the government failure, the BJP’s youth wing today alleged that it had deceived the students of the State. The State government duped the students by boasting that 300 companies will participate in the program and provide jobs to B-Tech degree holders. Two full years after collecting Rs 100 by way of registration fee from 40,500 students, the State government has failed to provide jobs to even one of them, alleged the BJP’s youth wing demanding the resignation of minister Sanjay Dasburma.

“In 2014, a placement fair was organised and Rs 100 was taken as registration fees from over 50,000 students. However, the State government neither provided jobs, nor refunded the money from the students,” said Biswa Ranjan Badajena, the general secretary of BJP’s youth wing.

Amid such protests, the Skill Development and Technical Education department has asked the BPUT authorities to refund the money taken for registration under the special recruitment drive, citing that no companies have shown interest in recruitment. Moreover, in a letter sent to the vice chancellor of BPUT, it is clearly indicated that no recruitment drive will be organised by State.

No comments could be obtained from the concerned department on the matter.