M.Tech, B.Tech youths take up jobs as Home Guards in Odisha

In a striking example of over-qualification in grassroots posts, several M.Tech, B.Tech and postgraduate youths joined the Home Guard force in Rourkela police district of Sundargarh on Tuesday.

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A total of 118 candidates participated in the passing-out parade after completing 82 days of rigorous training. Among them are 34 graduates and postgraduates from engineering, sociology and other disciplines.

The Home Guard posts officially require only a Class 5 educational qualification.

However, due to intense competition and unemployment pressures, more than 10,000 applicants—many of them highly educated—had applied when the recruitment advertisement was issued in February. Of these, 34 highly qualified youths have now been selected.

Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said many candidates opted for the role out of a strong desire to serve in uniformed forces. Experience gained as Home Guards also provides an advantage in future recruitments for police, forest and excise departments, and motivates educated youth to take up the job.

Today’s ceremony, held at the Rourkela Police Reserve Ground, marked the district’s first-ever Home Guard passing-out parade. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from officials, families of the recruits and the general public.

“From the very beginning, I had a desire to join the police force, and for this, I was keen to join the Odisha Police despite my high qualification in engineering. Vacancies in Odisha Police are usually not there, and it is likely to be notified in future. Hence, I had applied for the post of Home Guard,” a passed-out candidate, Raja Tanti, said to OTV.

“I am a postgraduate in Sociology. I had an interest in joining the police force. Hence, I thought to start my career here. When this opportunity came my way, I did not want to let it go in vain,” another newly recruited Home Guard, Lipsa Dalei, stated.