Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Monday said that every commercial passenger vehicle driver in the state must have a working knowledge of Marathi. He stressed that the government is firm on this requirement.
Speaking at a meeting held at Mantralaya in Mumbai, the minister urged auto-rickshaw and taxi unions to support efforts to teach Marathi to non-Marathi speaking drivers. He said cooperation from unions would be crucial in ensuring wider implementation.
The meeting was attended by Transport Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, labour leaders Shashank Rao, Sanjay Nirupam and Haji Arafat Shaikh, along with representatives of various rickshaw and taxi organisations, the officials said.
Marathi important for public interaction
According to an official statement, Sarnaik said that while Maharashtra is a progressive state focused on employment generation, drivers must be able to communicate with passengers in Marathi.
He added that as the state language, Marathi deserves respect and its basic knowledge is a reasonable expectation.
Steps to teach drivers Marathi
The state government is planning several measures to help drivers learn basic conversational Marathi. Institutions such as Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh and Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad are assisting in the effort.
Maharashtra transport unions have also shown willingness to support training initiatives.
Deadline and possible action
The minister said that giving non-Marathi drivers a fixed timeframe to learn the language is a reasonable demand and is being considered.
However, he warned that strict action would be taken against those who refuse to learn Marathi altogether.
Further discussions planned
A meeting has been scheduled at the Transport Commissioner’s office with 59 regional and deputy regional transport officers across the state to take a final decision on the matter, the official statement said.
The government is also planning to introduce a short course to teach practical Marathi to drivers. Awareness campaigns will be carried out, and necessary support will be provided to help drivers learn the language, it said.
Call for cooperation
The state government has begun taking concrete steps to make basic Marathi knowledge mandatory for commercial drivers, officials said.
The minister appealed to all stakeholders to respond positively to the initiative.
