4 yrs on, 15L candidates await exams to fill 36,389 positions

MUMBAI: Last month, the state government promised employment to 75,000 youth, in an effort to tackle unemployment. However, between 2018 and 2021, it had advertised to fill up over 36,389 positions for which over 15,00,000 candidates are still awaiting dates for exams and interview processes.

Tukaram Natkar was 22 years old when he started preparing for competitive exams. At 29 today, he is one of the many hopefuls waiting to bag a government job. Son of a farmer from Moregaon, Parbhani, Natkar has, since 2017, spent nearly ₹ 4 lakh in coaching classes to prep for the competitive exams. “We mortgaged our land to take a loan. From then on, I have been preparing for various exams to get a government job. But there’s not been a single exam since 2018, which is disappointing,” said Natkar.

Natkar now works at a mall in Pune to repay the loan and reclaim his farmland; and it does not help that last year MPSC changed the exam’s pattern, thereby nullifying the efforts of students such as Natkar who have been studying on the old pattern. “We now need to prepare for the 2023 exam, aligning with the new format for which I need to invest another one lakh. The new pattern is also tougher than the last,” he said.

Pravin Mundhe has been applying for government jobs since 2015. The 30-year-old, who lives with his family at Kurala, Washim district (Malegaon), has spent close to ₹6 lakh, which he had loaned. Despite holding a bachelor’s degree in computer applications, he wishes to work with government to repay debt and fund his sister’s wedding.