Auto, taxi drivers get one-year reprieve to learn Marathi in Maharashtra
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced that auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers will be given one year to learn “functional Marathi”, a move that replaces the State government’s earlier August 15 deadline for non-Marathi drivers to attain basic proficiency in the official language.
The announcement was made after a delegation of auto and taxi driver representatives, led by Haji Arfat Shaikh, met the Chief Minister. “They requested one year’s time. The State government has accepted their demand. No action will be taken against them during this period. Marathi classes will be organised and study material will be provided to help migrant drivers learn functional Marathi,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
The order was first issued in April, requiring non-Marathi drivers to learn functional Marathi to continue plying their vehicles. The Transport Department, headed by Shiv Sena Minister Pratap Sarnaik, subsequently carried out a checking drive and issued notices to drivers who failed a Marathi test. This led to complaints from a section of drivers, particularly those from Uttar Pradesh, which has a substantial migrant workforce in Maharashtra’s major cities such as Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik.
In Thursday’s meeting, the drivers’ representatives argued that many drivers are from different age groups and left formal education years ago, making it difficult to learn a new language in a short span. “They support the decision to learn functional Marathi, but said people of different age groups are in the profession. Many of them left studies years ago. In such a short span, it is difficult for them to learn the language. They have made an elaborate plan to learn functional Marathi in one year. So, the State government will help them learn it,” Mr. Fadnavis said.
The decision also comes amid political context: Uttar Pradesh is governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, and polls are due there in 2027. A large number of auto and taxi drivers in Maharashtra are migrants from U.P., and the backlash over the Marathi test had the potential to become an electoral issue. The State government’s move is widely seen as an attempt to address those concerns while maintaining the policy’s objective.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde lauded Mr. Sarnaik for the initiative, stating that 1.60 lakh non-Marathi persons had learnt the language as a result. He also said that 15,000 to 20,000 auto and taxi drivers had been certified in Mumbai alone.
Under the revised plan, drivers will not face any coercive action during the one-year period. The government will organise Marathi classes and provide study material. Officials are expected to design a curriculum focused on functional Marathi, covering everyday phrases drivers use with passengers and in their daily operations.
The one-year grace period is a balancing act by the State government between enforcing the language policy and accommodating the practical difficulties of migrant workers. It also gives the administration time to build a more structured implementation mechanism. However, questions remain about how proficiency will be assessed at the end of the year and what consequences, if any, will follow for those who do not meet the requirement.
