- CM Fadnavis grants 1-year extension for Marathi learning.
- No action against drivers during this grace period.
- Government to provide free Marathi classes and materials.
Maharashtra: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers will be given one year to learn Marathi amid widespread protests over the state government's language mandate.
Authorities confirmed that no action will be taken against drivers during this period for not having the adequate knowledge of the state's official language. The decision comes days after Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik carried out a checking drive and issued notices to the drivers who failed a Marathi test.
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Drivers Willing To Learn, Says CM
The announcement came after a delegation of auto-rickshaw and taxi driver organisations, led by Haji Arfat Shaikh, met with the Chief Minister. Fadnavis said the representatives supported the rule requiring drivers to learn basic Marathi and expressed willingness to comply.
However, the delegation pointed out that drivers belong to diverse age groups and many had left formal education years ago, making it difficult to learn the language on short notice.
Government Grants 1-Year Extension And Free Classes
Accepting their request, Fadnavis announced that the state government will give auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers one year to learn functional Marathi.
"They requested that they be given one year. The state government has accepted their demand and is giving them one year. No action will be taken during this period."
To support drivers during the one-year period, the state government will provide free study materials and organise Marathi classes.
"They have themselves come forward and are willing to learn. Therefore, it was necessary to give them time," Fadnavis added.
Marathi Language Mandate
The government had announced in April that non-Marathi drivers must learn basic Marathi by August 15 and organised language classes to help them.
On August 20, the Transport Department launched state-wide checks. Sarnaik stated that 1,268 commercial drivers, primarily auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, were issued notices on the first day for failing the Marathi test. Drivers who failed the Marathi test were given one month to acquire a working knowledge of the state's official language, after which their badges would be suspended for three months, according to the minister.
(With Inputs From PTI)