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State relaxes age limit for MPSC, govt job seekers
It has also increased vacancies for the MPSC’ Group C Services Combined Preliminary Examination 2026 from over 5,000 to more than 16,000
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A high-level committee appointed by the state government has recommended increasing vacancies for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission’s (MPSC) Group C Services Combined Preliminary Examination 2026 from over 5,000 to more than 16,000, offering a significant expansion of opportunities for nearly 12 lakh applicants. It also proposed a one-time, one-year relaxation in the upper age limit for candidates appearing for various government recruitment examinations.
The age-limit relaxation is a one-time special measure, not a permanent revision of the recruitment age criteria. “From January 1, 2028, the existing maximum age limits prescribed under the respective service recruitment rules or the government order dated April 25, 2016, will once again apply,” said an order issued by the state general administration department (GAD) on Friday.
The relaxation applies to recruitment advertisements issued between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2027. Importantly, it will also cover eligible recruitment advertisements already published since January 1, 2026, provided that no stage of the selection process has been completed.
At present, the maximum age limit for entry into government service through competitive examinations is 38 years for open-category candidates and 43 years for backward classes. The one-year relaxation raises these age limits by a year each.
Moreover, the age-limit relaxation will not be restricted to MPSC exams. Other agencies that conduct government recruitment exams will also have to abide by the provision.
The benefit will extend to posts for which separate service recruitment rules prescribe maximum age limits different from those specified in the April 25, 2016 order.
This makes the decision relevant to a wider pool of government job aspirants across various departments and recruitment bodies in Maharashtra.
For the MPSC Group C Services Combined Preliminary Examination 2026, around 12 lakh candidates have applied, while advertisements have so far been issued for more than 5,000 vacancies.
According to the notification, the one year of upper age limit relaxation would apply to advertisements issued after January 1, 2026, for which the selection process has not yet begun, as well as advertisements issued up to December 31, 2027.
The committee also recommended reopening the application window once for the Group C Examination 2026 to allow candidates who become eligible due to the additional vacancies and the proposed age relaxation to apply.
The high-level committee was constituted through a government resolution dated September 4 this year.
“The committee examined demands, suggestions and feedback received during consultations with students and other stakeholders across various departments. Considering the urgency of certain issues raised by aspirants, it decided to submit an interim report with recommendations on matters requiring immediate attention,” the government notification stated.
Among other recommendations, the committee proposed retaining the existing examination pattern and syllabus for the Group C preliminary examination without any changes. It also recommended announcing the syllabus for the main examination of newly added cadres at the earliest.
As a precautionary measure to strengthen examination security, the committee recommended scrapping the question paper-setting exercise carried out so far and preparing fresh question papers through a secure process. It also called for stringent security arrangements for printing, storing, and transporting question papers and OMR answer sheets.
At examination centres, the recommendations include police deployment, CCTV surveillance, signal jammers and trained personnel to prevent malpractice and ensure the smooth conduct of examinations.
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who led the protest called it a victory of students’ unity.
“A high-level committee has recommended increasing the number of posts in the Group C exam by nearly 11,000, making a total of 16,000 posts to be filled. This will benefit students across the state. It has once again been underscored that if one stands firm for just demands, victory is certain,” he said.
“Considering that the committee has recommended increasing the number of Group-C vacancies this year from 5,000 to 16,000, one wonders whether the committee is offering students the carrot of more vacancies to divert attention from the key reforms that need to be addressed. There is still no sufficient clarity on the much-discussed State Services Main Examination pattern, particularly whether it will remain descriptive or be objective,” said Sushil Ahhirao, a student representative.
“The Dalvi Reforms Committee had recommended a descriptive pattern and also suggested syllabi for the main examinations of all gazetted posts, including general administration and technical posts. There is an urgent need to clarify the examination pattern and syllabus for all these main examinations,” he said.
