MPPSC exam candidates say number of govt posts declining despite plenty of vacancies

Indore: Candidates appearing for the recruitment examination conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) have expressed their displeasure over the decline in the number of posts over the years, and claimed that it was happening despite over two lakh government vacancies in the state.

In view of the large number of vacant administrative posts in the state, they demand that the number of posts for the recruitment should be increased to at least 500. The MPPSC has called for recruitment to only 110 posts this time, marking the biggest decline in the last five years.

According to officials, the state service examination was conducted for recruitment to 571 posts in 2019, 260 in 2020, 290 in 2021, 457 in 2022 and for 229 posts in 2023.

They said the state service examination this year will be for recruitment to 110 posts, for which 1.83 lakh candidates will appear in the preliminary examination to be held on June 23. These include 15 posts of the deputy collector and 22 posts of deputy superintendent of police (DSP).

Akashdeep (30), staying at Indore's Bholaram Ustad Marg area, a big centre for students preparing for civil services examination, told PTI on Wednesday that the number of posts advertised for recruitment this year was grossly inadequate.

Akashdeep, who has been preparing for the state service examination for the last six years, said, "Calling for just 110 posts is very inadequate for recruitment through the fiercely competitive state service examination. There should have been recruitment for at least 500 posts."

Akash Pathak, a leader of the state service examination candidates, said, "On our demand, the MPPSC had assured us before the Lok Sabha elections that it would write to different departments of the state government and try to increase the number of posts for recruitment. It is very unfortunate that our demand has not been met till now." Pathak claimed that two to three lakh government posts are lying vacant in the state, including the posts in administration like deputy collector and DSP.

MPPSC's Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Ravindra Panchbhai said they issue advertisements for the state service examination for as many posts notified by the government departments.

He, however, said that even after an advertisement is issued, if government departments demand recruitment for some more posts from the MPPSC, these additional posts can be included in the recruitment process as per rules, before the result of the preliminary round of the state service examination is declared.

The recruitment through the state service examination also includes other posts. The issue of OBC reservation has been a major legal tangle for a long time. As a result, the number of posts advertised for the state service examination is not being filled.

Pathak said the MPPSC is making recruitment for only 87 per cent of the total advertised posts, citing the case of providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs pending before the Madhya Pradesh High Court. The remaining 13 per cent of appointments are stuck with this, he said.

The opposition Congress spokesman Mrinal Pant alleged that conducting the state services examination for only 110 posts was a fraud on the unemployed youth.

"Thousands of gazetted officer posts are lying vacant in the state. In such a situation, conducting the exam for only 110 posts is a fraud on these unemployed youth who have been preparing for it for the last several years," he said.