Maharashtra govt task force on competitive exams receives 30,000 suggestions from aspirants

A highlevel task force set up by the Maharashtra government to recommend reforms in recruitment examinations has interacted with around 1500 aspirants and received nearly 30000 suggestions through email Additional Chief Secretary V Radha said on TuesdayThe 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 governmentThe 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 SambhajinagarThe task force is scheduled to interact with candidates from the Nashik division on WednesdayCommittee to examine recruitment process in detailRadha said the task force had received different concerns and suggestions during its interactions in each division and would examine them before finalising its recommendationsDifferent issues were raised in each division Every issue and point will be studied in depth before the report is submitted she saidThe task force will examine issues related to individual recruitment examinations as well as broader problems affecting examination processes across different government departmentsIt will also study recruitment systems followed by the Union Public Service Commission UPSC and other states to assess practices that could be considered for Maharashtras recruitment processDepartments to be consulted on problemsThe panel will hold discussions with secretaries of the departments concerned to identify the root causes of the problems raised by candidates Radha saidThe 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 addressedRather than merely making recommendations the task force will focus on resolving the actual difficulties she saidThe panels review comes amid concerns among candidates about delays communication gaps and transparency in government recruitment examinationsAspirants seek changes in exam schedule and communicationDuring Tuesdays interaction candidates raised several suggestions concerning the conduct and scheduling of recruitment examinationsAmong the key demands was avoiding delays in examinations and ensuring that candidates receive information from the Maharashtra Public Service Commission MPSC on timeAspirants also called for greater transparency in examinations and advance information whenever there are changes in examination patternsAnother suggestion was to conduct recruitment for all Group C posts together rather than holding separate examinations that could create scheduling conflicts for candidatesCandidates also suggested maintaining an adequate gap between examinations for different posts expediting pending examinations and retaining the system of preliminary and main examinations where applicableCandidates seek greater transparency in evaluationCandidates also raised concerns about the examination and evaluation processSuggestions 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 ariseSome aspirants proposed introducing descriptive question papers along with a system allowing onetime registration and fee payment for recruitment examinationsCandidates also sought improvements in the quality of question papers and greater transparency in the publication of answer keys and the evaluation processThe suggestions are being compiled along with feedback received through email as part of the task forces reviewAge relaxation among demandsSome candidates also sought age relaxation for women appearing for competitive examinationsThe task force will consider these suggestions along with other issues raised during its interactions across the stateWith inputs from PTI