Local Employment Crisis: Bissamcuttack MLA Slams Vedanta
Industries@Rayagaa Fail to Deliver on Promises
Bissamcuttack, Rayagada(8.2.25)
The issue of local employment in the Bissamcuttack Assembly Constituency and across Rayagada district has sparked widespread outrage, as industries operating in the region have failed miserably to provide sustainable jobs to the skilled and unskilled youth. Despite tall claims of generating employment and fostering economic growth, corporate giants like Vedanta, JK Paper Mill, IMFA, and Utkal Alumina have largely ignored the local workforce, leaving thousands of young aspirants disillusioned.
The latest revelation in response to Legislative Member Nilamadhab Hikaka’s Question No. 751 in the Odisha Legislative Assembly has further fueled anger. In a written statement, Shri Ganeshram Singkhuntia disclosed the shockingly low number of permanent jobs offered by major industries in the district:
Vedanta Lanjigarh with 81,JK Paper Mill 44, IMFA Therubali with 327 permanent jobs while Utkal Alumina has none in Bissamcuttack constituency.
This data has sparked a new debate in the region, with MLA Nilamadhab Hikaka expressing frustration over the repeated failure of industries to engage local youths. He criticized the hollow promises made by the corporate sector, particularly Vedanta, which has been operating a billion-dollar project in Lanjigarh for over a decade but has failed to provide adequate employment to locals.
The legislator also strongly criticized Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal, who recently announced plans to invest ₹1 lakh crore in Rayagada. Hikaka dismissed this as a hoax, stating:
“If Vedanta has failed to provide jobs to local youth in their decade-long operations at Lanjigarh, how can we trust their new promises? The company has systematically ignored the youth of Rayagada while extracting the region’s resources for profit.”
Hikaka’s frustration reflects the sentiments of thousands of unemployed youths in Bissamcuttack, Muniguda, and Kalyansinghpur, who feel abandoned by the industries that were supposed to uplift their lives.
While speaking in college event at Bissamcuttack, Dilip Patnaik, a close aide and legal advisor to the MLA, criticized Vedanta’s employment policies. He accused the company of running a failed agenda by not providing permanent employment to local youth. Patnaik raised a crucial question:
“If Vedanta is truly committed to employing local youth, why don’t they conduct placement drives in colleges like Maa Markama College (Bissamcuttack) and Muniguda College? Why are local institutions left out of their employment programs?”
This statement received widespread support from students, who echoed similar concerns. Young graduates are struggling to find meaningful employment despite industries flourishing in their own backyard.
With Vedanta eyeing Bauxite mining in Niyamgiri, employment will become a major point of contention in the coming days. Experts believe MLA Hikaka has made his stand clear he will oppose any corporate expansion that fails to provide sustainable employment to the local youth.
The issue of corporate accountability in Rayagada has never been more pressing. Unless these industries start fulfilling their employment promises, they are likely to face strong resistance from the people and their representatives.
