Maharashtra makes Marathi mandatory for taxi, rickshaw drivers from May 1
· Scroll
Visit sweetbonanza-app.com for more information.
The Maharashtra government has made it mandatory for all licensed rickshaw and taxi drivers in the state to have basic knowledge of Marathi from May 1 and will conduct a statewide inspection drive to enforce the rule, PTI quoted transport minister Pratap Sarnaik as saying on Tuesday.
In a statement issued by his office, Sarnaik warned that the licences will be cancelled of those drivers who are unable to clear the Marathi proficiency test during the inspection.
Unidentified officials told The Hindu that the inspection will include a test to assess whether a driver can read a signboard or document in Marathi, write a basic sentence and hold a simple conversation in the language.
In his statement, the minister also said that existing rules requiring knowledge of the local language for issuing driving licences were already in place, but were widely being ignored.
Sarnaik claimed that the transport department had received several complaints – especially from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Nagpur – about drivers being unable or unwilling to communicate with passengers in Marathi, The Economic Times reported.
“It is everyone’s duty to learn the language of the region where they conduct business,” the newspaper quoted the Shiv Sena leader as saying. “While it is important to be proud of one’s mother...