MPSC: CBT mode for exams to make recruitment process faster, says minister Ashish Shelar

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government's decision to adopt the Computer-Based Test (CBT) system for examinations conducted by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) will make the recruitment process faster, more transparent and efficient, said a minister on Tuesday. Speaking in the Legislative Council, Information and Technology Minister Ashish Shelar said following a May 5, 2020 Government Resolution, a large number of posts from various departments were transferred to the MPSC.

Earlier, the commission conducted recruitment for 7,000 to 7,500 posts annually. This number is now expected to increase to 50,000 to 60,000 posts every year, making it essential to adopt a faster and more efficient recruitment mechanism, he said while replying to a discussion on matters pertaining to the General Administration Department (GAD).

He said conducting offline examinations requires dependence on schools and colleges which are designated as centres.

Since examinations conducted by the Centre, various state governments, banks and other institutions are also held during the same period, the availability of test centres becomes a major challenge. In view of the substantial increase in the number of vacancies, the CBT system is a more practical and effective solution, Shelar emphasised.

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Cancel online tests, demands minister

The minister was responding to Congress MLC Satej Patil's demand to cancel online tests. The government's objective is to conduct examinations and complete appointments within the same year so that vacancies do not remain unfilled for long and candidates are not subjected to unnecessary delays.

The recruitment process will, therefore, have to be streamlined to ensure timely appointments, Shelar insisted.

He further said the government has taken into consideration the concerns of candidates from rural areas. "Today, students across the country appear for major examinations such as CAT, JEE, SSC, RRB, IBPS, UGC-NET and MH-CET through the CBT mode.

Other states hold service commission exams in CBT mode

Therefore, the same system can be effectively implemented for MPSC examinations as well," Shelar maintained. He pointed out that several states, including Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh, already conduct their Public Service Commission examinations through the CBT mode. To further enhance transparency, candidates will be provided access to their answer sheets.

In cases where examinations are conducted in multiple shifts, normalisation of marks will be carried out in accordance with guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court, the minister told the House.

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Expert committee constituted

He said the high-level expert committee constituted by the Centre under the chairmanship of space scientist Dr K Radhakrishnan had recommended the adoption of CBT, and the state government's decision to move to the digital platform test mode was taken after considering the panel's suggestions.

Expressing confidence in the new system, Shelar noted that the adoption of CBT would make the recruitment process more reliable and transparent while ensuring timely, merit-based and fair employment opportunities for the youth of Maharashtra.

Assuaging concerns raised by some members regarding the possibility of privatisation of examinations, Shelar categorically stated that there will be no privatisation of MPSC tests. However, the minister added that the government would utilise the services of agencies like TCS to provide the necessary infrastructure for conducting examinations.