MPSC protest suspended as CM Fadnavis assures immediate transfer of secretary, exam reforms

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday met a delegation of Maharashtra Public Service Commission MPSC aspirants and announced a series of measures addressing their concerns over recruitment examination procedures and the functioning of the commission Following the meeting student representatives temporarily suspended their planned protest on October 2 The developments were also reported by multiple outlets based on the Chief Ministers Office statementJudicial inquiry into MPSC chairpersons and membersOne of the key issues discussed during the meeting was the conduct of current and former MPSC chairpersons and members Fadnavis said the state government cannot directly remove a chairperson or member from the constitutional post with the procedure governed by Article 317 of the ConstitutionA judicial inquiry will be conducted within three months and further statutory action will be taken based on its findings The state government has approved the immediate transfer of the current MPSC Secretary Mahendra Harpalkar to ensure transparency in operations the Chief Minister saidThe government said the inquiry would examine the functioning of former and incumbent officebearers with further action to be considered based on its findings Under Article 317 removal of an MPSC chairperson or member involves a recommendation from the Supreme Court to the PresidentMPSC exams to continue in offline formatThe examination format was another major concern raised by aspirants Fadnavis assured the delegation that MPSC competitive examinations would continue to be conducted offlineNo policy shift will occur without prior consultation with all student stakeholders Overcoming longstanding bottlenecksmdashwhere recruitment rules had not been overhauled since 1960 and around 30000ndash40000 promotions remained pendingmdashthe state has completed new cadre rules for 60 per cent of departments the Chief Minister addedThe government said no change in the examination mode would be introduced without consultations with candidates and other stakeholdersMore vacancies planned for Group C examinationThe government also agreed to increase the number of vacancies for the Group C examination scheduled for January 3The state announced plans to fill vacancies on an unprecedented scale In response to immediate student demands a record increase in vacancies will be added to the upcoming Group C examination scheduled for January 3 A centralised system will be launched enabling candidates to take multiple competitive exams using a single lowcost card CM Fadnavis saidThe government has also said recruitment rules have been completed for around 60 per cent of departments while work on the remaining departments is continuing Officials have linked the recruitment backlog to outdated rules and pending promotions across departmentsSinglecard system and digital document repository proposedAnother proposed reform is a centralised system that would allow candidates to use a single card while appearing for multiple competitive examinationsAdditionally a digital repository will be created so candidates no longer need to upload repetitive documentation for every application To streamline candidate preparation the state will release a comprehensive threeyear recruitment roadmap Furthermore hiring processes for posts created by upcoming retirements will begin a full year in advance A complete execution plan will be rolled out within one month the Chief Minister notedThe proposed digital repository is intended to reduce the need for candidates to submit the same documents repeatedly while applying for different examinations The government also said vacancies would be planned over a threeyear period and recruitment for posts expected to fall vacant because of retirements would begin a year in advanceStudents suspend October 2 protestFollowing the meeting and the governments assurances student representatives announced that their planned October 2 agitation would be temporarily suspendedSatisfied with the state governments constructive response and actionable commitments student representatives formally announced the temporary suspension of their agitation scheduled for Gandhi Jayanti October 2 Aspirants welcomed the state governments decisive steps toward restoring transparency timeliness and fairness in state civil service recruitment the government statement saidThe decision came after days of protests and demands from MPSC aspirants concerning the commissions functioning examination procedures and delays in recruitmentWith inputs from IANS