Thane, Aug 17 (PTI) Around 1.25 lakh auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers have completed a functional Marathi proficiency training programme under a 105-day campaign launched by the Maharashtra government jointly with local outfits, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Monday.
Speaking at a function in Thane, where certificates were distributed to the successful participants hailing from non-Marathi background, he emphasised Marathi was a language of devotion and not compulsion.
Voluntary adoption of the language by non-Marathi-speaking people reflected the state’s cultural unity, he insisted.
He was addressing the concluding ceremony of the ‘Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Marathi Language Course Campaign’, jointly organised by the Maharashtra Transport Department, State Marathi Development Institute, Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh and Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad.
The 105-day campaign saw 1.25 lakh auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers learn Marathi and pass the language examination, Shinde said.
“This is not an end but a strong beginning for Marathi pride,” Shinde said, adding the slogan “Maharashtra is mine, Marathi is my language of communication” reflected the spirit of the state.
“Devotion to the mother tongue and respect for Marathi are the real strengths of Maharashtra,” he maintained.
Praising state Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik for promoting Marathi through a positive approach rather than legal compulsion, Shinde said, “A language is learnt through love, not through law.” He appealed to Marathi speakers not to make fun of people learning the language and instead communicate with them in the official language of Maharashtra.
Recalling the legacy of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and his emphasis on Marathi pride, Shinde listed several decisions taken during his tenure as chief minister (June 30, 2022-December 5, 2024).
Among the key decisions, he highlighted granting Marathi classical language status, the Ladki Bahin Yojana, measures to promote higher education among girls, 50 per cent concession for women travelling by state transport buses and allowing the mother’s name to be included in official records.
Speaking about wider Maharashtra and its growth, he noted the state was leading in industrial development, start-ups, GDP expansion and foreign investment.
He suggested that the official version of ‘Vande Mataram’ approved recently by Parliament should be sung at public functions.
Expressing pride in his past as an autorickshaw driver, Shinde highlighted government welfare decisions for transport workers, stressing that while Maharashtra must protect its linguistic identity, language should unite rather than divide.
Transport Minister Sarnaik launched the campaign following a survey revealing communication gaps among non-Marathi drivers, despite 1989 rules requiring basic Marathi proficiency for driving licences.
Over 1,65,600 transport workers registered during the three-and-a-half-month initiative.
Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant said future phases of the campaign aim to elevate drivers from functional to literary Marathi. PTI MR COR RSY
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