Maha auto, taxi drivers to be trained in Marathi: Fadnavis

Nagpur: CM Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the state govt would ensure that autorickshaw and taxi drivers who do not know Marathi are trained in the language, while making clear that forcing any language on anyone is not the right approach.Speaking to media on the sidelines of a public event in Nagpur, Fadnavis said, "Whether it is Mumbai or entire Maharashtra, giving primacy to Marathi and promoting the language is not wrong. But at the same time, the govt's role will be to ensure that those auto and taxi drivers who do not know Marathi are taught the language. Because forcing any language in the country is not right, we will provide training to help them learn Marathi. And we will also ensure that no injustice is done in this matter."The CM's remarks came on the same day minister transport Pratap Sarnaik announced that two literary organisations — the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh and the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad — had expressed willingness to teach functional Marathi to drivers. Sarnaik said a curriculum would soon be developed for the purpose. The Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad has offered to conduct classes through its 72 branches, while the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh plans to provide online lessons through volunteer teachers. The training will be free of charge.Earlier this month, Sarnaik announced that from May 1 — Maharashtra Day — a statewide verification drive would be launched across 59 regional and subregional transport offices to assess whether licensed auto rickshaw and taxi drivers have a working knowledge of Marathi. Drivers who fail to meet the requirement risk cancellation of their licences and badges.The decision has triggered sharp pushback from drivers' unions, mainly in Mumbai, which have called for a statewide strike on May 4. Several union leaders contend that the relevant provision under the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules requires only a "working knowledge" of Marathi — not a formal reading or writing test — and that many drivers already fulfilled this condition at the time of obtaining their badges. Union leaders have also warned that the verification exercise could open the door to corruption.Sarnaik, however, has maintained that the rule is not new and that the govt has received complaints from passengers in Mumbai, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur about drivers being unable to communicate in Marathi.
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