By 9 am on a wintry morning, Manoranjan Bel had wrapped up his daily workout routine —an hour and a half of running and high jumps over a rope wedged between two poles, followed by a badminton session. “I know I’ll clear the physical fitness test for the exam,” he told The Indian Express, panting slightly.The exam the 33-year-old Bel was referring to is the Home Guard recruitment for Odisha’s Sambalpur district. The written test, held on December 16, drew attention for a peculiar reason — over 8,000 candidates appeared for 183 jobs on a runway of the nearby Jamadarpali Airstrip on the city outskirts. Drone images of rows of candidates taking the exam on the tarmac drove home a larger point — the steep competition to find employment in the state.“It was nothing like I’ve ever experienced before,” Bel, a resident of Geunpura in Sambalpur district who works as a driver, told The Indian Express. “We were asked to report at 6 am and it took at least three hours to get settled for the test.”For candidates, the pay — a daily duty allowance of Rs 639 — along with the perceived perks of a “government job”, make it alluring. For the state’s law enforcement, facing slowing recruitment, an auxiliary force like the home guard bolsters policing.According to Sambalpur SP Mukesh Bhamoo, who supervised the exam, the airstrip was chosen to “ensure transparency” — a significant remark as the state probes two major paper leak and exam fraud cases: a sub-inspector recruitment exam in October and an auxiliary nurse midwifery (ANM) exam earlier this month.“The idea behind conducting the examination on an airstrip was to ensure transparency in the process. It was conducted in front of everyone and there was no secrecy,” the SP told a section of media last week.Officials said other places were considered before the airstrip was chosen.Story continues below this adBut the images sparked criticism, with the opposition Congress taking aim at the ruling BJP. “The BJP government has failed to create adequate jobs in the public sector in Odisha because of which the youths either choose to migrate to other states or apply for jobs that are far below their qualifications,” Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam told The Indian Express.A voluntary force under the state’s Fire Services, Civil Defence & Home Guards department, home guards supplement the police during emergencies, disasters and social welfare work. The minimum qualification is completion of class 5, with candidates entitled to a daily allowance of Rs 639 and perks such as allowance for duties outside their home district.According to officials, shrinking recruitment in the lower police rungs — the constabulary and junior ranks — has spurred demand for home guards, who assist in patrolling, traffic management, intelligence gathering, manning control rooms and crowd management during VIP movement.The demand, added to existing vacancies — about 17,000 filled positions against a sanctioned strength of 20,175 — means increased work hours and more pay. Combined with factors such as the appointment in the home district and a 10 per cent quota for police constabulary recruitment, it makes the home guard role attractive, especially for the youth.Story continues below this adOfficials say many who applied for the 183 posts advertised by the Sambalpur district police were overqualified – some holding Master’s, technical and management degrees.According to a reply submitted by the state’s Skill Development & Technical Education Minister Sampad Chandra Swain in the Assembly on November 28, 13.09 lakh educated youths have registered at district skill development-cum-employment offices as of October 31, 2025. Officials, however, sought to highlight that 37,371 educated youths have been offered positions in government services since June 2024, when the Mohan Charan Majhi government came to power, against 26,412 candidates shortlisted for private sector placements from April 2024 to September 2025.The rush for home guard positions also translated into a logistical challenge. With schools holding exams, they chose the airstrip, which had hosted the Agniveer recruitment rally from November 29 to December 5.“We decided to hold it on the airstrip so that all applicants can be accommodated without hassle. It’s not used for regular flight operations,” an official said.Story continues below this adThe turnout prompted heavy deployment: apart from Sambalpur SP Mukesh Bhamoo, three additional superintendents of police, 24 inspectors, 86 sub-inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors, and hundreds of traffic constables and personnel were deployed.Candidates were divided into groups of 50, with a sub-inspector and a constable assigned to each group. Drones were used for aerial surveillance. “A senior police officer had to use a loudspeaker to read out questions,” a constable on exam duty said.In November, about 12,000 applicants turned up for 200 home guard posts in Sundargarh, while more recently, 4,000 applied for 100 posts in Jharsuguda.For applicants, this means more opportunities, but also stiffer competition. In a two-room flat in Sambalpur’s Sakhipada area, Subhash Padhan, 34, said his biggest motivation is staying with his family — his wife and two daughters — and the prospect of future hikes. “Despite being a need-based job, I think it has some social security guarantees,” he said.Story continues below this adWith at least 10% of seats in the police constabulary reserved for home guards, for those like 24-year-old Ratan Bagh, it is a stepping stone. A native of Kuchinda in Sambalpur and the first in his family to complete college, Bagh has dreamed of a police job since finishing his master’s in sociology two years ago.For some, it’s a matter of choosing between limited options. With the Odisha government allowing home guards to be between 18 and 60, several candidates were over 40.