The Maharashtra government on Sunday set up a committee to suggest reforms in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), appointing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe as its secretary. The move comes amid an ongoing agitation by aspirants in Pune.
State minister Shivendraraje Bhosale announced the decision to protesters at SM Joshi Bridge, where aspirants have been demonstrating for the past 10 days over several demands, including reform of the state recruitment body.
Former Bombay High Court judge Dilip Bhosale will chair the committee. Its other members are IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge P D Naik. The panel is expected to finish its work within 60 days.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who led the protesters’ delegation, welcomed Mundhe’s inclusion and said he hopes the committee will be able to work independently. He stressed that Mundhe must be free to carry out an independent investigation without interference.
Aspirants’ other demands
The government also promised to address the protesters’ remaining demands. These include withdrawing cases against some agitation representatives, recruiting 70,000 candidates to various posts over three years, and raising the number of vacancies in the Group C exam scheduled for January.
Protesters also want background checks on the MPSC chairman and secretary before they are appointed. It was not immediately clear whether the government has decided on their demand to remove MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimnawar.
Chairman’s resignation was the main demand
Earlier on Sunday, a government delegation led by Shivendraraje Bhosale, sent by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, held talks with the protesters and presented a draft of proposed reforms addressing their demands. Rohit Pawar read the provisions out to the gathering.
Pawar said the government had responded positively to the other demands, with the chairman’s resignation remaining the main sticking point. He said the protesters could have fought over it indefinitely but had to decide how far to take the issue. He added that they had raised 15 other demands after first focusing on the chairman’s resignation.
Pawar called the proposed settlement a “win-win situation,” saying the government had agreed to consider the demands and form a committee to probe examination irregularities.
