Debabrata Saikia urges PM Modi to set up regional recruitment centre for Northeast

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Senior Assam Congress leader and Former Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Debabrata Saikia, have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking urgent intervention to address rising unemployment among the youth of the North-Eastern Region (NER).

In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Saikia demanded the establishment of a dedicated Regional Recruitment Centre in Guwahati to conduct recruitment examinations for Central Government departments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and Public Sector Banks operating in the Northeast.

Citing findings from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025, Saikia highlighted that Assam’s unemployment indicators remain worse than the national average. According to the data referenced in the letter, Assam’s overall unemployment rate stands at 3.7 per cent compared to the national average of 3.1 per cent, while urban youth unemployment has reached 20.6 per cent against the national figure of 13.6 per cent. The situation is particularly severe among urban young women, where unemployment has reportedly climbed to 30.8 per cent against the national figure 18.9 per cent.

Saikia alleged that the existing recruitment framework of central agencies, including the Railways, Border Security Force, Staff Selection Commission, public sector banks, and energy companies such as Oil and Natural Gas Corporation and Oil India Limited, places candidates from the Northeast at a disadvantage. He said recruitment examinations are largely conducted through centres located in metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, forcing aspirants from the region to incur substantial travel and accommodation expenses.

The Congress leader claimed that these barriers have resulted in local youth being excluded from employment opportunities within their own region, with a significant number of positions being filled by candidates from outside the Northeast.

To address the issue, Saikia urged the Centre to allocate Rs 500 crore for establishing a Regional Recruitment Centre in Guwahati within six months. He argued that Guwahati, with its airport connectivity, railway network and administrative infrastructure, is ideally suited to serve all eight Northeastern states.

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