Mumbai (PTI): A high-level task force set up by the Maharashtra government to suggest reforms in recruitment examinations has interacted with around 1,500 aspirants and received nearly 30,000 suggestions through email, Additional Chief Secretary V Radha said on Tuesday.

It will conduct an in-depth study of various stages of the examination process and suggestions received from aspirants before submitting its report, said the IAS officer who heads the task force.

The committee interacted with candidates from the Konkan division at the Mumbai suburban district collectorate on Tuesday. It had earlier held interactions with students and candidates in Pune, Nagpur, Amravati and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Radha said.

The task force will interact with candidates from the Nashik division on Wednesday.

"Different issues were raised in each division. Every issue and point will be studied in depth before the report is submitted," she said.

The task force will examine problems related to individual examinations as well as those concerning different departments, she said, adding that the recruitment processes followed by the Union Public Service Commission and other states would also be studied.

The panel will discuss the issues with secretaries of the concerned departments to identify their root causes, Radha said.

"Rather than merely making recommendations, the task force will focus on resolving the actual difficulties," she said.

During the interaction on Tuesday, candidates raised several suggestions, including avoiding delays in recruitment examinations, ensuring timely information from the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC), greater transparency in examinations, advance information about changes in examination patterns and conducting recruitment for all Group C posts together.

Candidates also suggested maintaining a gap between examinations for two posts, expediting pending examinations, having preliminary and main examinations, announcing results according to seniority of posts, holding one examination for one post and considering candidates on waiting lists.

Other suggestions included introducing descriptive question papers, allowing one-time registration and fee payment, improving the quality of question papers, and making answer keys and evaluation more transparent.

Some candidates also sought age relaxation for women appearing for competitive examinations.

This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.