DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand's unemployment crisis continues to worsen, with a staggering 21,000 candidates applying for only 24 home guard instructor positions. Alarmingly, around 70% of these applicants hold postgraduate degrees.
Official sources indicate that a recent recruitment drive aimed at hiring home guard instructors, a role requiring only a 12th pass certification, has exposed a startling trend. Among the applicants are M.Tech, M.Sc., B.Sc., and graduates from various other streams.
The competition is fierce: Garhwal alone accounts for 12,000 applicants, while Kumaon has over 8,500, highlighting the growing struggle for scarce employment opportunities. The overwhelming number of highly educated individuals striving for basic positions points to limited job prospects elsewhere in the region.
Rajeev Semwal, a resident of Uttarkashi, shared his experience, stating, “I hold an MSc in Mathematics with first division. After many years preparing for competitive exams without success, I saw my age slipping away. That's why I have applied for the Havildar post in the Home Guard department.”
With an age limit of 18-35 years for recruitment, many young people are pinning their last hopes on securing positions in the Home Guard department. Despite holding higher qualifications, they are forced to seek jobs that traditionally do not require advanced degrees.
Departmental sources also confirmed that the Uttarakhand Subordinate Service Selection Commission (UKSSSC) will soon conduct a written examination for the Havildar Instructor post. The region’s dire employment landscape is a pressing concern, placing Uttarakhand in 15th position nationally for unemployment rates.
The comparison with its sibling states, carved out by the BJP government 25 years ago, further emphasises the grim situation. Jharkhand boasts an impressively low unemployment rate of 1.4%, and Chhattisgarh follows with 2.7%. In contrast, Uttarakhand’s unemployment rate stands at 4.9%, underlining the urgent need for sustainable job creation and economic development.