Gopalpur Industrial Park jobs have become the focus of a request by Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy, who has urged Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to direct industries in Ganjam district to prioritise local youth in recruitment.
In a letter to the chief minister, Panigrahy sought relaxation of experience requirements for local candidates, on-the-job training and a fresh, transparent recruitment process at a solar industrial unit planned for the Gopalpur industrial park. He also asked the state government to ensure strict implementation of its industrial policy.
According to the MP, more than 450 local youths attended a recent recruitment drive conducted by the unit. Only 43 candidates were selected, he said, for lower-grade positions including housekeeping and construction work. The remaining candidates were rejected on the grounds that they lacked experience in the sector, Panigrahy said.
The MP further claimed that the same company had not required experience for recruitment drives conducted in other states. He has therefore asked the state government to examine the criterion applied in Ganjam and seek a process that gives local candidates access to training and employment opportunities.
The company named in the report is Saatvik Solar Industries, which signed a memorandum of understanding with the Odisha government in August for a 3.6 GW solar cell manufacturing facility at the Gopalpur industrial park. The project is expected to add a major manufacturing component to the industrial estate, although the report does not specify its construction schedule, investment value or total employment potential.
The dispute highlights an immediate administrative issue for industrial areas: how local employment commitments are translated into recruitment rules when projects move from announcement to implementation. Experience requirements can screen out candidates from regions where the relevant manufacturing sector is still developing, while employers may use them to meet specialised operational needs. In this case, the MP has called for training to bridge that gap rather than excluding local applicants.
For Ganjam, the issue is linked to the wider economic purpose of the Gopalpur industrial park. Industrial projects create local value only when residents can access the jobs generated by construction, operations and support services. The reported recruitment numbers have brought that question into focus before the proposed solar manufacturing facility becomes operational.
Panigrahy’s request places responsibility on the state government and the industrial unit to clarify the recruitment criteria, review the reported selections and determine whether a fresh drive will be held. The next step sought in the letter is a transparent recruitment exercise with relaxed experience conditions and training for eligible local youth.
