Maharashtra postpones MPSC exam in view of rising COVID-19 cases

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Mumbai: The Maharashtra Public Service Commission has postponed the State Service Pre-Examination to be held on March 14, 2021. The decision has been taken against the backdrop of increasing COVID-19 cases in the state. 

Earlier, the pre-service state service examination on October 11, 2020 was postponed due to the aggressive stance taken by Maratha organizations on the Maratha reservation issue. 

Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in the state, Maharashtra ruling party, Shiv Sena in its editorial on Wednesday (March 10) warned the citizens, once again, of another lockdown. 

The COVID-19 daily case curve is on rise and the ruling party has termed the situation as a 'cause of concern'. Shiv Sena warned that the state government would be forced to take some harsh actions in order to handle the situation.

Earlier, on Tuesday Mumbai Guardian Minister Aslam Shaikh said if coronavirus cases continue to rise in the city and the possibility of a night curfew or partial lockdown is high. Additionally, a three day 'Janata curfew' will be imposed in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district. 

Nagpur was also added to the list of places with alarming spike in COVID-19 cases and the authorities have imposed a lockdown from March 15. The lockdown will remain in place till March 21. 

Schools, colleges and coaching classes in Nashik, Malegaon, Niphad and Nandgaon will remain closed from March 10 till further orders, though classes for standards X and XII will continue due to upcoming board exams, the order said.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday Maharashtra recorded 13,659 new COVID-19 cases, which is the highest one-day spike this year. The new caseload took the state's total to 22,52,057, a health official said. The state also reported 54 fatalities on Wednesday, the death toll stood at 52,610. Currently, the active cases in the state stands at 99,008.