MPSC aspirants end 10-day protest as Tukaram Mundhe named secretary of reform panel

The Maharashtra government has set up a panel to recommend reforms in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), with FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe appointed as its secretary, as protests by recruitment aspirants continued in Pune.

State minister Shivendraraje Bhosale announced the decision after meeting the protesters at SM Joshi Bridge, the site of the agitation that has entered its 10th day.

The panel will be headed by former judge Dilip Bhosale. Its other members are IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge P. D. Naik.

Bhosale also told the protesters that their other demands would be addressed. These included the withdrawal of cases against some representatives of the agitation, recruitment to 70,000 posts over three years, an increase in the number of seats in the Group C examination scheduled for January, and background checks on the MPSC chairman and secretary before their appointment.

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit, who has been protesting alongside the MPSC aspirants, welcomed Mundhe’s inclusion in the committee.

"We hope that the committee will have the freedom to work properly," he said.

Students end agitation

PSC aspirants late Sunday night ended their 10-day agitation after the Maharashtra government formed a committee, with senior IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe as secretary.

Subsequently, Maharashtra Public Service Commission Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar announced that he had proceeded on leave till the inquiry was completed.