MPSC aspirants suspend protest after Maharashtra government assurances

Maharashtra Public Service Commission aspirants have temporarily suspended a planned October 2 protest after a delegation met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and received assurances on their demands. Student representative Nitin Andhale said the meeting was positive and that the delegation unanimously agreed to pause the agitation. The students had been seeking action over alleged irregularities in MPSC examinations, examination procedures and accountability within the commission.

The government reportedly assured the students that an inquiry would examine the conduct of present and former commission office-bearers. It said a judicial inquiry into the commission chairperson’s role would be completed within three months, after which further action would be considered. The government also assured the delegation that the MPSC secretary would be transferred immediately.

Examinations would continue to be held offline, and any change in format would be discussed with student representatives before being introduced. On recruitment, the government said it was preparing a large-scale drive to fill vacancies after revising departmental recruitment rules. It said rules in some departments had not been revised since 1960 and that about 30,000 to 40,000 promotions were pending.

The students’ demand for more vacancies connected to the Group C examination scheduled for January 3 was accepted, with the government promising an increase at a “record” level. It also proposed a single-card system to let candidates sit multiple examinations at a nominal cost without repeatedly submitting documents. The government said vacancies expected over the next three years would be announced together and recruitment for posts becoming vacant through retirement would begin a year in advance.

A programme for the plan is expected within a month, according to the details released after the meeting.