Panel overhauls MPSC exam system to stop paper leaks

The Maharashtra government is set to make changes at four separate stages of the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examination process -- paper preparation, printing, transport and distribution -- to prevent incidents of paper leaks. The information was shared at a press conference held in Pune on Saturday by V. Radha, Additional Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department and chairperson of the high-level task force set up to reform recruitment exams in the state.

V. Radha said that if a question paper does not already exist in prepared form, there is no risk of it leaking. It has therefore been decided that the paper will be prepared only at the exact time of the examination. A secure system is being built so that no single person or system has access to the complete paper at any stage of the process, and technology will be used extensively for this.

Committee members present at the press conference included Director General of Police (DGP) Sadanand Date, IT and Artificial Intelligence Secretary Virendra Singh, Nashik Divisional Commissioner Dr. Praveen Gedam, retired Air Marshal Ajit Bhosale, former Union Public Service Commission member Professor Shyamprasad Kargadde, IIT Mumbai professor Shyamprasad Kargadde, and Dr. N. Ramaswamy, Secretary of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries.

V. Radha said students have demanded that the MPSC examination system remain stable for at least five to eight years. Students say that instead of repeatedly changing between objective, descriptive or other patterns, there should be a stable, pre-decided pattern like that of the UPSC, and the exam schedule too should not keep changing. Repeated changes to the exam calendar after it is announced affect the age limit, age relaxations and students' preparation, she said. Students have therefore demanded that exam dates be fixed and the exam held accordingly every year.

According to V. Radha, given the growing burden of examinations on MPSC, it is necessary for the commission to expand its own capacity. The committee will make recommendations to strengthen manpower, computer and technical facilities, arrangements at exam centres, and the grievance redressal system. The primary responsibility for conducting exams will remain with the commission, but the rules and methods needed to carry this out in a transparent and secure manner will be laid down.

More than 18,000 emails have been received from across the state so far. During discussions in Pune, suggestions from around 200 students were recorded, and around 200 more students are waiting to have their suggestions heard, V. Radha said.

Over the coming year, work will be done to ensure MPSC exams continue to be held using the OMR method. Given differences of opinion among students over online examinations, the immediate focus will be on developing the systems needed to make the OMR method more secure and robust.

Suggestions from students included a demand that the minimum number of posts be announced in advance, a centralised system for checking answer sheets, one-time registration and improvements to the fee system, a separate portal for grievance redressal, basic facilities at exam centres, faster verification of certificates for the disabled and sports quota categories, zero tolerance for paper leaks and other irregularities, and holding exams on schedule.

Committee member and DGP Sadanand Date said the task force has been set up to make the competitive examination process faster, more transparent and more accountable. He said its main objective is to seek suggestions from students as well as teachers, coaching class operators and parents. The first public hearing has begun in Pune, and every suggestion will be taken seriously in an effort to make the exam process stronger, more transparent and more trustworthy, Date said.

Some immediate changes will also be made to the recruitment exam process in the state, with recommendations to be given within 15 days. Longer-term changes will be made in phases. The committee will not stop at submitting a report, but will continue working to make the recruitment process faster and more transparent.