The Gopalpur solar project has become the focus of a local employment dispute after Berhampur MP Pradeep Kumar Panigrahy asked 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 urgent intervention in the recruitment process for industrial units being established in the district. He cited a recent hiring drive by a solar industrial unit that is scheduled to be set up at the Gopalpur Industrial Park, saying more than 450 local youths had appeared for recruitment.
According to the MP, only 43 candidates were selected, primarily for lower-grade roles such as housekeeping and construction work. He said the remaining candidates were rejected because they did not have prior experience in the sector. Panigrahy further claimed that the same experience requirement was not imposed by the company during recruitment drives in other states.
The MP has asked for the experience criterion to be relaxed for local candidates and for on-the-job training to be provided. He also called for fresh and transparent recruitment by the industrial unit. His demands include strict implementation of the state’s industrial policy, particularly on the participation of local residents in employment generated by new industrial investments.
The recruitment issue has emerged as industrial development gathers pace at Gopalpur. Saatvik Solar Industries 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 report does not specify the proposed investment value, construction timeline, total employment potential or the number of positions involved in the recent recruitment drive.
The episode highlights an administrative challenge that often accompanies the expansion of industrial parks: ensuring that local communities can access jobs created by incoming companies. Recruitment rules based on prior experience can disadvantage candidates from areas where the relevant manufacturing sector has not previously offered large-scale employment. Training and entry-level pathways therefore become important parts of how industrial policy is experienced at the local level.
Panigrahy’s letter places responsibility on both the state government and the company to address the recruitment concerns. The immediate demands are a fresh recruitment exercise, greater transparency, relaxed experience requirements for local candidates and workplace training. The report does not mention a response from the chief minister’s office or Saatvik Solar Industries, nor does it state whether a new recruitment process has been scheduled.
