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Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik chaired a special meeting with literary organisations Konkan and Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Parishad on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the Marathi mandate and a structured Marathi language training syllabus for auto and taxi drivers.
This comes after the Maharashtra government decided to make Marathi language compulsory for Auto, taxi, Ola, Uber, Rapido drivers starting May 1.
The transport department along with literary organisations will design a training curriculum to teach Marathi to auto and taxi drivers in the state as part of its decision.
“From the very beginning, the Maharashtra government has maintained that if you want to do Business here in Maharashtra, you should know Marathi” said
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik reaffirming the stand.
“The issue became prominent with services like Rapido, Ola, Uber, and bike taxis, where complaints were raised that drivers did not know Marathi and passengers did not understand Hindi who only know Marathi. Several FIRs were lodged in this regard, taking these concerns into account, the government has moved forward with this decision” added Sarnaik.
Upset with this decision, some unions of auto rickshaw drivers had threatened to launch statewide agitation from May 4, to which the minister responded that a meeting has been called regarding the same with the unions. The Transport department maintained that making Marathi compulsory in Maharashtra is not wrong, citing examples from states like Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, where local language usage is common.
The minister stated that people from the Konkan and Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Parishad have previously taught Marathi to personalities like Aamir Khan and Genelia Deshmukh and will now help train auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers.
“A simple and practical curriculum will be designed to make learning Marathi easy for drivers. In the future, Marathi certification may be considered during the issuance of licenses and permits,” said Sarnaik.
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‘व्यावहारिक मराठी’ अनिवार्य; यासाठी मोटार वाहन नियमांमध्ये बदल होणार
राज्यात मराठी भाषेचा प्रसार व्हावा आणि नागरिकांशी संवाद अधिक सुलभ व्हावा, यासाठी रिक्षा व टॅक्सी चालकांना व्यावहारिक मराठी बोलणे अनिवार्य करण्याचा निर्णय परिवहन विभागाने घेतला… pic.twitter.com/1vVisE1eDB
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The curriculum is aimed at non-Marathi speaking drivers, many of whom have been working in Maharashtra for years, who will be able to learn Marathi.
The minister clarified that this move isn’t not about taking away livelihoods, but about enhancing opportunities. It was also reiterated that action will be taken where necessary, with the nature of action to be decided by the authorities.
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale maintained that Marathi compulsion was not okay in a city like Mumbai and that people should be given time to learn.
“Mumbai is the financial capital of our country, and people from all over come to Mumbai, Hindi is the official language. You can insist people to learn Marathi, but compulsion is not okay, you are hurting the image of Mumbai, people should be given time to learn Marathi” said Athawale.
The government aims to teach basic Marathi to auto and taxi drivers for easy communication with passengers. Two Marathi books along with an app will be prepared and released, with implementation planned from May 1.
