Maharashtra to form high-level panel to overhaul recruitment exam system: Fadnavis

Mumbai: A high-level committee will be constituted to recommend comprehensive reforms to the examination system for various government recruitments, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday.

The committee will visit every revenue division and interact with students, educational institutions and other stakeholders before submitting a report on measures to make recruitment examinations more secure, transparent and effective, he said.

Panel to lead exam reforms

Fadnavis issued the directions at a special meeting held at his official residence, Varsha, which was also attended by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who made several suggestions, said an official release issued after the meeting. The committee will be headed by Additional Chief Secretary V Radha of the General Administration Department.

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Director General of Police Sadanand Date, Information Technology Secretary Virendra Singh, Animal Husbandry Secretary N Ramaswamy and Nashik Divisional Commissioner Pravin Gedam will be its members.

Maharashtra plans stricter exam norms

The panel's recommendations will form the basis for a comprehensive policy for the state, officials said. Last month, both houses of Parliament passed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, days after Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned amid massive protests, led by the youth group Cockroach Janta Party, over NEET paper leak and other exam-related irregularities.

Though Maharashtra already has its own law on the issue, Fadnavis has directed officials to complete, within the next fortnight, the process of extending the more stringent central legislation to the state, the release said. The chief minister also directed authorities to establish at least 25,000 secure classrooms across Maharashtra for conducting recruitment examinations, it said.

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The meeting also discussed the coordination role of district collectors, police commissioners, superintendents of police and senior education department officials in conducting examinations, it said. Officials also examined examination systems followed by various countries, existing procedures in Maharashtra and possible reforms to strengthen the recruitment examination process.

Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and other senior officials were present at the meeting, the release added.