A staggering 257 off the 597 new recruits who completed a six-month apparatus training at the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy (TNFUSRC), Coimbatore, are qualified engineers. This constitutes an incredible 40% of the total recruitment.

Out of the 257 recruited people 227 have completed their BE (Bachelor Of Engineering) degree while the rest 30 have completed ME (Master of Engineering). In addition to engineers, there are people from other science backgrounds as well. About 150 of the total recruit include BSc and MSc and there are a few with MPhil, MBA, BCom and BPharm as well.

Forest guards are the foot soldiers who constitute a vital part of the Forest Protection Force. The minimum education needed for the job of a forest guard is Hsc (Higher Secondary School Certificate) and the age limit between 21-30 years.

TNFUSRC had invited applications for frontline office staff, including 300 foresters, 726 forest guards and 152 forest guards with driving license. There were about 3.5 lakh applications for the same, from which 2.2 lakh were found eligible and 1.5 lakh appeared for the exams.

The lack of job opportunities and job security are the main reasons behind this extraordinary rise in the applications for the post of a forest guard.

“It is a government job with minimum pay of Rs.18,200. Though I was initially apprehensive about the physical demands, the training has given me confidence,” said one of the engineering postgraduate to The New Indian Express.

The unemployment rate in the country is raising and the lack of job prospects have left the youth of the country anxious, making them settle for mere jobs.

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