E-Paper
Aspirants demanding age relaxation left in the lurch, MPSC exam held as scheduled
For the last several days, competitive exam aspirants had been protesting across Pune and other cities, demanding relaxation in the age limit
Thousands of aspirants demanding an age relaxation of one year for the Maharashtra group B, non-gazetted combined preliminary examination faced disappointment as the state government failed to offer any relief, and the MPSC preliminary examination was conducted as scheduled on Sunday, January 4.
For the last several days, competitive exam aspirants had been protesting across Pune and other cities, demanding relaxation in the age limit. Their demand stemmed from the delayed notification of the exam, which was issued nearly seven months late. As per the notification, November 1, 2022 was fixed as the cut-off date for age eligibility, resulting in thousands of candidates becoming ineligible.
Despite sustained protests including one held on Friday; memorandums; and support from several public representatives; the government did not announce any relaxation. Meanwhile, activist Manoj Jarange-Patil extended his support to the protesting students. Following the agitation on Friday, the police detained several students with cases registered against 11 student-protesters. Despite this, no resolution was reached on the students’ core demand. As a result, many aspirants who had pinned their hopes on a single attempt were unable to appear for the examination on Sunday.
An MPSC candidate said, “I have spent the last five years preparing for this exam even though I don’t have money. The group B exam notification came seven months late and because the age cut-off was fixed at November 1, 2022, many of us became ineligible by just a small margin. We kept requesting age relaxation and submitted memorandums but the government did not take any decision, which is why we had to protest. Today, I am standing outside the exam hall… Missing this chance feels like my entire future is slipping away.”
Student-protester Nitin Andhale said, “Even after support from 70 to 80 public representatives, the government remained rigid. Students too were detained at police stations despite not committing any offence.” Andhale urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to honour the assurances given earlier, and provide age relaxation in future examinations to protect the students’ careers.
Uday Samant, Maharashtra industries minister, said, “I received a call from Manoj Jarange-Patil regarding the MPSC aspirants’ demands. Following that, I held detailed discussions with the chief minister and deputy chief minister. At the present stage, it was not possible to postpone the examination as doing so would have created planning issues for thousands of students, and there is consensus on this. However, after the model code of conduct is lifted, a special meeting will be convened to discuss age relaxation and other related demands. Students will not be allowed to suffer any loss.”
