The Maharashtra government on Sunday formed a committee to recommend reforms in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), naming Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe as its secretary, amid an agitation by aspirants in Pune.
Earlier on Sunday, a government delegation led by Shivendraraje Bhosale held talks with the protesters. The government also assured the protesters that their other demands would be addressed. The protesters have also demanded background checks on the MPSC chairman and secretary before their appointments. However, it was not immediately clear whether the government had taken a decision on their demand for the removal of MPSC chairman Vivek Bhimnawar. Deputed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, the delegation presented a draft outlining proposed reforms in response to the demands raised by the aspirants. Rohit Pawar read out the provisions to the gathering. “Our main demand was MPSC chairman Bhimanwar’s resignation. How long would we have fought over this issue? We could have continued indefinitely.
The decision was conveyed by state minister Shivendraraje Bhosale, who met the protesters at SM Joshi Bridge, where aspirants have been staging a protest for the past 10 days over various demands, including reforms in the state recruitment body. These include withdrawing cases against some representatives of the agitation, recruiting 70,000 candidates to various posts over three years and increasing the number of vacancies in the Group C examination scheduled for January.
“We hope that the committee will have the freedom to work properly,” he said, adding that Mundhe must be allowed to conduct an independent investigation without interference. Pawar said the government had responded positively to the protesters’ other demands, with the MPSC chairman’s resignation remaining the principal sticking point. We also have to decide how far to take this,” Pawar said.
