30 September,2026 09:53 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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A high-level task force set up by the Maharashtra government to recommend reforms in recruitment examinations has interacted with around 1,500 aspirants and received nearly 30,000 suggestions through email, Additional Chief Secretary V Radha said on Tuesday.
The task force, headed by Radha, is conducting an extensive review of the recruitment examination process and will study the suggestions received from candidates before submitting its report to the state government.
The committee interacted with candidates from the Konkan division at the Mumbai suburban district collectorate on Tuesday. It had earlier held meetings with students and aspirants in Pune, Nagpur, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
The task force is scheduled to interact with candidates from the Nashik division on Wednesday.
Radha said the task force had received different concerns and suggestions during its interactions in each division and would examine them before finalising its recommendations.
"Different issues were raised in each division. Every issue and point will be studied in depth before the report is submitted," she said.
The task force will examine issues related to individual recruitment examinations as well as broader problems affecting examination processes across different government departments.
It will also study recruitment systems followed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and other states to assess practices that could be considered for Maharashtra's recruitment process.
The panel will hold discussions with secretaries of the departments concerned to identify the root causes of the problems raised by candidates, Radha said.
The exercise is intended to go beyond identifying problems and suggesting broad changes, with the task force seeking to examine how specific difficulties faced by candidates can be addressed.
"Rather than merely making recommendations, the task force will focus on resolving the actual difficulties," she said.
The panel's review comes amid concerns among candidates about delays, communication gaps and transparency in government recruitment examinations.
During Tuesday's interaction, candidates raised several suggestions concerning the conduct and scheduling of recruitment examinations.
Among the key demands was avoiding delays in examinations and ensuring that candidates receive information from the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) on time.
Aspirants also called for greater transparency in examinations and advance information whenever there are changes in examination patterns.
Another suggestion was to conduct recruitment for all Group C posts together, rather than holding separate examinations that could create scheduling conflicts for candidates.
Candidates also suggested maintaining an adequate gap between examinations for different posts, expediting pending examinations and retaining the system of preliminary and main examinations where applicable.
Candidates also raised concerns about the examination and evaluation process.
Suggestions included announcing results according to the seniority of posts, conducting a single examination for a particular post and considering candidates on waiting lists when vacancies arise.
Some aspirants proposed introducing descriptive question papers, along with a system allowing one-time registration and fee payment for recruitment examinations.
Candidates also sought improvements in the quality of question papers and greater transparency in the publication of answer keys and the evaluation process.
The suggestions are being compiled along with feedback received through email as part of the task force's review.
Some candidates also sought age relaxation for women appearing for competitive examinations.
The task force will consider these suggestions along with other issues raised during its interactions across the state.
(With inputs from PTI)
