Pune: The Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) officials are meeting today (August 22) to decide the fate of lakhs of students willing to appear for State Service Preliminary Exam and Maharashtra Agricultural Service Exams.
MPSC has already announced that an advertisement for Group A, Group B, and Group B (Junior) posts in the Maharashtra Agricultural Service will be released within few days. Additionally, the preliminary examination for these posts is scheduled to be conducted by the end of October 2024.
The situation has become tense among students as both the IBPS examination and the MPSC State Service Combined Preliminary Examination are slated for August 25.
Adding to their frustration, 258 vacant positions in the Agricultural Department are not included in the upcoming State Service Preliminary Examination. This has led to widespread discontent among the candidates. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has requested MPSC Chairman to make a positive decision on this issue, as he shared on social media.
The protest that began on Tuesday night, led by competitive exam candidates demanding the inclusion of these Agricultural Service posts in the August 25 MPSC examination, continued through Wednesday (August 21).
MP Supriya Sule met with the protesters, expressing her support. Following the request by Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis, a crucial MPSC meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, August 22, at 10 AM to resolve this issue.
The MPSC's Gazetted Civil Services Combined Preliminary Examination is set to take place on August 25. However, the lack of inclusion of the 258 Agricultural Service posts has sparked significant opposition among the candidates.
The MPSC revealed that it had not received the necessary request from the government for these positions until December 29, 2023, which is why the posts were not included in the current advertisement.
Nevertheless, preparations are now underway, and the MPSC has assured that a circular regarding the recruitment process for these posts will be issued soon.
As tensions rise, the candidates have taken an aggressive stance, with a sit-in protest that began on Shastri Road on Tuesday night. MP Supriya Sule and Prashant Jagtap of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar faction were present to show their support.
With both the MPSC and IBPS exams scheduled on the same day, candidates are worried about missing out on one of the exams. The ongoing protests reflect the students' frustration with the government's perceived inaction.
The candidates argue that including these positions in the State Service Examination and conducting a comprehensive State Service Examination in October would be both technically feasible and appropriate. Supriya Sule has called for immediate action from the MPSC to address the students' legitimate concerns.