# Maharashtra Approves Age Relaxation and Expands MPSC Recruitment Vacancies Government grants one-year age relief while considering a massive increase in civil service job openings. - **Source:** [The Hindu – National](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national) - **Published:** 2026-11-05 - **Topic:** [politics](https://brifing.si/c/politics) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/6dee3a56-6189-4297-8043-1b51b94efb9f ## One-Year Age Relaxation Granted The Maharashtra government officially approved a one-time, one-year upper age limit relaxation for recruitment examinations. This policy applies to advertisements issued between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2027, provided no selection stages have concluded. The directive covers both MPSC and other state agency exams, offering a special application window for newly eligible candidates. ## Expansion of Group C Vacancies A high-level committee led by V. Radha recommended increasing MPSC Group C vacancies to over 16,000 positions. This follows government departments submitting requisitions for 11,000 additional posts beyond the initial 5,000 advertised. The committee suggested incorporating these vacancies via a corrigendum to accommodate the 12 lakh candidates currently registered for the preliminary examination. ## Committee Review and Transparency Formed on September 4, the seven-member committee was tasked with reviewing the state's recruitment system to enhance transparency. Their interim report, submitted on November 5, 2026, focuses on preventing irregularities. The committee proposed canceling existing question-paper preparation processes to ensure security and integrity, recommending fresh papers be developed through a more robust procedure. ## Proposed Security and Oversight Measures To safeguard the examination process, the committee recommended stringent protocols for printing, storing, and transporting question papers and OMR sheets. Proposed security measures include police deployment, CCTV surveillance at centers, and the use of signal jammers. These steps aim to mitigate risks of malpractice and ensure a fair testing environment for all applicants. ## Student Movement Demands and Concerns Nitin Andhale, an MPSC student organizer, welcomed the age relaxation but emphasized that broader issues remain. Aspirants are demanding the restoration of the objective examination pattern, arguing that the current descriptive format favors wealthy candidates. Andhale claims descriptive coaching costs up to ₹2 lakh, creating significant barriers for students from rural or economically weaker backgrounds. ## Descriptive Pattern Controversy Critics argue the descriptive format acts as a barrier to equal opportunity, labeling it an elitist system. Andhale questioned the MPSC's capacity to evaluate descriptive answer sheets fairly, citing past rechecking issues. He urged the government to reconsider the descriptive format entirely, warning that failure to restore the objective pattern could trigger renewed protests across the state. ## Scope of Examination Reforms While the committee recommended retaining the existing syllabus for Group C preliminary exams, it advised announcing the main examination syllabus for new categories soon. Andhale also called for the 2025 State Services examination to be included in separate inquiries regarding alleged irregularities, claiming it was excluded despite ongoing concerns about the evaluation process and overall examination integrity. ## Future Outlook and Implementation Although the government approved the age relaxation, other committee recommendations, including the vacancy increase, remain subject to further official decisions. The government faces pressure to balance administrative needs with student demands for equitable testing. Future stability depends on whether authorities implement the requested objective pattern changes before the next major recruitment cycle begins in 2028. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/maharashtra/maharashtra-govt-approves-one-year-age-relaxation-for-recruitment-exams-panel-proposes-over-16000-mpsc-group-c-vacancies/article71670508.ece — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._