Mumbai, Sep 30 (IANS) In a major breakthrough following days of escalating tension, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday held extensive discussions with a delegation of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) student representatives, accepting their core demands and offering concrete, time-bound assurances.
Following the positive outcome of the meeting, student leaders announced the temporary suspension of their planned October 2 protest.
Addressing student grievances regarding the conduct of current and former MPSC Chairpersons and members, Chief Minister Fadnavis clarified that removal from this constitutional post follows Article 317 of the Constitution (involving a Supreme Court recommendation to the President).
“A 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 said.
He also assured aspirants that MPSC competitive exams will strictly remain in offline format.
“No policy shift will occur without prior consultation with all student stakeholders. Overcoming longstanding bottlenecks—where recruitment rules had not been overhauled since 1960 and around 30,000–40,000 promotions remained pending—the state has completed new cadre rules for 60 per cent of departments,” the Chief Minister added.
“The 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, low-cost card,” CM Fadnavis said.
“Additionally, 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 three-year 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 noted.
“Satisfied with the state government’s 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 government’s decisive steps toward restoring transparency, timeliness, and fairness in state civil service recruitment,” the government statement said.
–IANS
sj/khz