If you saw the news recently, you might have seen a shocking photo from Sambalpur, Odisha.
Thousands of students were sitting in long lines on an Airport Runway, writing an exam under the open sky. It looked like a scene from a movie, but it was real life.
This wasn’t an exam for a high-paying software job or a top government officer post. It was a recruitment test for Home Guards.
Here is the simple truth behind the viral photos and what it tells us about the job situation today.
The Shocking Numbers
Let’s look at the facts.
- Total Posts Available: 187
- Total Candidates Who Came: Over 9,000
That means for every single job, nearly 50 people were fighting for it. The crowd was so huge that the administration ran out of space in schools and colleges. They had no choice but to use the Jamadarpali Airstrip as a giant exam hall to manage the crowd!
Who Were These Candidates?
This is the part that breaks my heart. The minimum qualification required for a Home Guard job is just Class 5 Pass. The daily wage is about ₹612 (which is roughly ₹18,000 a month).
But in that crowd of 9,000 people, there were not just 5th-pass students. There were Graduates, Engineers, and even MBA degree holders. Highly educated young people were sitting on a tarmac, hoping to get a temporary job just to have some income.
Why this happened ?
Young people traveled from faraway districts, sleeping at bus stands or railway stations, just for a chance at this job. The police did a good job managing it—they used drones and heavy security to ensure no cheating happened. But the image of thousands sitting on a runway tells a sad story about unemployment.
My Thoughts
It is easy to make jokes about “exams on a runway.” But for the families of those 9,000 boys and girls, this wasn’t a joke. It was a lifeline. When an Engineer applies for a Class 5 level job, it shows us that we need more industries and better jobs in Odisha, fast.
What do you think? Is it the government’s fault for not creating jobs, or is it just the reality of our population? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
