How A Broken System Was Fixed: Fadnavis’ Commitment For Reforms And Transparency In State Job Recruitment

State governments across the country have been facing a credibility crisis with government job postings and recruitment.

According to an investigative report, in the past five years, 1.4 crore job seekers across 15 states have been affected by paper leaks in 41 examinations.

Each case of a paper leak is unique, differing in format, the types of aspirants involved, and the specific loopholes exploited.

While this contributes to a nationwide issue, focusing on irregularities on state-level are crucial for identifying the distinct factors and underlying causes at play.

Historically, Maharashtra has faced challenges in filling vacancies, particularly in rural areas. Teacher shortages in remote regions, healthcare worker deficits, and an uneven distribution of police personnel have been persistent issues.  

Such issues and malpractices in various recruitment exams in Maharashtra has rocked several assembly sessions.  

In the past five years, Maharashtra has been shaken by several paper leaks, predominantly during 2020-2021.

These include the Maharashtra health department recruitment exams for Groups C and D in October, the Teacher’s Eligibility Test (TET) in November, and recruitment exams for the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) in December.

Additionally, the Talathi exam paper leak also surfaced in 2023.

Prior to these, other cases include the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exam paper leak, the police recruitment scam, and the Zilla Parishad recruitment irregularities, among others.

The Recent Cases In Maharashtra

As per reports, in 2021, the Pune cyber police conducted an investigation into three exams mentioned above and arrested 25 individuals, including Tukaram Supe, the commissioner of the Maharashtra State Council of Examination (MSCE).

This investigation, which began with a paper leak related to the Maharashtra State Public Health Department exam, also uncovered malpractices in two other examinations—the MHADA examination and the Teachers Eligibility Test — resulting in arrests of public servants in all three cases.

Further, the police arrested the director and several employees of GA Software Pvt Ltd, the firm contracted in 2021 to conduct the TET and MHADA exams.

GA Software had previously been blacklisted by the former Devendra Fadnavis government but received clearance from Tukaram Supe that year.

The exams, originally scheduled for September, were eventually held a month later, as the private company allegedly failed to make adequate preparations in time.

When the exams were finally conducted, candidates reported evident malpractices, citing weak security at exam centres and claims that the exam papers had been leaked.

Investigations revealed that Supe and his associate accepted bribes through various middlemen from candidates seeking to qualify. They reportedly accepted amounts ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, collectively reaching around Rs 4.2 crore.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) subsequently demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the matter, but faced opposition from the MVA government in power during the time.

Beyond this, in July 2023, Maharashtra faced another challenge, when the question paper for the Talathi examination leaked prior to the scheduled exam date.

The leak was brought to light when candidates and the public began receiving the examination papers via social media platforms and messaging apps.

A Talathi serves as a village-level revenue officer, responsible for maintaining land records, collecting agricultural data, and assisting with tax collection in rural Maharashtra. This role is crucial to the state's revenue administration, as Talathis serve as the direct link between the local population and the government regarding land and revenue issues.

Gunsinghe had been linked to other scandals involving paper leaks, including the Pimpri-Chinchwad police recruitment in 2021. Police recovered 186 photos of the question paper, a spy camera, micro devices, and other high-tech equipment from the accused.

However, this time, the Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who oversaw the Home Department, promptly acted on the situation and initiated a series of measures starting with cancelling the examination statewide to ensure that no unfair advantage was gained by those who had accessed the leaked paper.

While this decision disappointed candidates who had diligently prepared for the exam, it was widely viewed as essential to maintain the integrity of the recruitment process.

As per a government statement later, the only FIR related to the Talathi recruitment in Maharashtra concerned the setting of incorrect answers, rather than a leak.

However, the case pushed the government towards the importance of maintaining transparency and accountability in the recruitment process.

Moreover, the paper leak raised questions about the role of private coaching centres and intermediaries in the recruitment process.

The investigation revealed that some of these centres were deeply involved in facilitating the leak, which called for stricter regulation and monitoring of their activities.

Bill To Prevent Unfair Means

Following national importance, the state government introduced a bill in the assembly that aims to prevent mismanagement in competitive exams.

This bill, called the 'Maharashtra Competitive Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024,' proposes a jail term of up to five years for offenders.

Beyond this, the state government, with Devendra Fadnavis at the forefront, have introduced several reforms, to enhance the overall system.

Reforms Under Fadnavis

In response to the recruitment crisis, the current Mahayuti government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has implemented significant reforms aimed at restoring credibility and transparency in the recruitment process.

Within two years, the government has successfully managed the recruitment of 100,000 personnel, and they assure that the process will continue in the future, with the same reformed process.

Steps were taken —

• To reform the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) to align with the standards of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services examinations.

Revamping the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC)

The MPSC has been previously criticised for a lack of transparency and integrity, with rampant allegations of favouritism and irregularities.

To address such issues, Fadnavis initiated major reforms to align MPSC standards with those of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

These reforms went on the improve the quality, transparency, and credibility of MPSC examinations, which are essential for selecting officers for various state-level administrative positions.

The key changes include -

The overhaul of the MPSC exam format

The exams shifted from an objective-type format to a descriptive one, akin to the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

What was the goal? This change aimed to evaluate candidates' analytical and writing skills rather than relying solely on rote learning. However, this shift faced resistance from students, but the government continued to focus on the necessity of evolving examination standards to attract capable administrative talent.

Enhancing the selection process for MPSC board members

Fadnavis prioritised appointing individuals with subject expertise to ensure that those overseeing the examination process possessed a thorough understanding of their respective fields. This focus on expertise aimed to improve the overall quality of the exam process, including question paper design and evaluation standards.

The administration prioritised transparency and fairness within the examination system

His administration worked diligently to minimise delays in result announcements and ensure timely resolution of grievances. For example, in 2024, he supported the postponement of the MPSC exam in response to protests from students demanding more preparation time for a newly introduced syllabus.

Through these reforms, Fadnavis aimed to establish the MPSC as a highly competitive and reliable examination system.

Filling Teaching Vacancy Through PAVITRA Portal

The long-awaited recruitment advertisements for teachers under the school education department was initially released by Fadnavis as the CM, in 2019.

The advertisement detailed teaching positions across various categories, including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes.

According to early 2024 reports, Maharashtra has made substantial progress in its largest government teacher recruitment drive in two decades. Over 11,000 teachers were recruited in the first phase through the Pavitra Portal.

As of January, 2024, advertisements were published for 21,678 vacancies, including 12,522 in zilla parishads, 2,951 in mahanagar palikas, 477 in municipalities, and 5,728 in private aided schools.

Over 2 lakh candidates appeared for the Teachers Aptitude and Intelligence Test (TAIT) 2022, held between February and March 2023. Of the candidates who passed, 1.63 lakh completed the registration and self-certification process on the Pavitra Portal.

The introduction of the Pavitra Portal signalled a major shift toward transparency in recruitment, allowing candidates to apply online.

This has also reduced bureaucratic delays and the loopholes for corruption. This merit-based system was key in restoring public trust in educational appointments.

Maharashtra Education Commissioner Suraj Mandhare said the process was completed in a totally transparent and non-intrusive manner.

“During the entire process, the administration responded to every query raised on social media and also responded to individual messages from the eligibility holders. Official news bulletins were circulated daily on the portal,” he added.

A Grievance Redressal Committee was also constituted for the first time to officially clear doubts through email.

Even after the successful numbers, more than 2,350 reserved seats for ex-servicepersons, 1,530 for part-timers, and over 560 for sportspersons remain unfilled due to a lack of eligible candidates.

The Maharashtra Education Department has now commenced the second phase of its teacher recruitment drive through the portal, which again has gained a strong response from aspiring teachers.

Mass-Scale Police Recruitment

In addition to educational reforms, the Maharashtra Police undertook a large-scale recruitment drive to fill 17,471 constable positions in June 2024. This recruitment effort attracted over 1.7 million applications, highlighting the public’s eagerness to participate in law enforcement careers.

The selection process includes physical tests, written examinations, and interviews.

However, the decision faced opposition backlash, as it was one of the rare occasions when physical examinations were to take place during the monsoon season.

But this release was a much-needed action by the state government, given that recruitment had been stalled in 2019, 2020, and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This recruitment drive aimed to cater the accumulated backlog and replenish the workforce, also supporting the retirements and losses suffered during the pandemic.

Moreover, even for this recruitment drive, technological support was integrated into the process to minimise the risk of corruption and mismanagement.

A digital application system was implemented to ensure transparency and accountability at every stage of the recruitment process.

Reforms To Continue

While much has been done to improve the exam and recruitment process in Maharashtra — with the efforts under the former CM and the current Deputy CM Fadnavis — positive changes to the system are expected to continue. This is important not only for the state but also for the country's future.

There was an 11 per cent rise in salary expenses, driven by the need to hire more staff in various sectors, with over Rs 11,000 crore allocated for education to boost recruitment. The state also set aside Rs 29,338 crore for police recruitment and infrastructure.