Maharashtra Begins Roadside Marathi Tests and Issues One‑Month Notices to Drivers

Overview

• The Regional Transport Office launched a statewide roadside campaign on Thursday that deployed marshals to administer a short 16‑question Marathi test to taxi, auto‑rickshaw and app drivers.
• Authorities say more than 5,200 drivers were tested, including about 3,942 in Mumbai, and RTOs have issued notices ranging from several hundred to over 1,400 people depending on the report.
• Drivers judged to lack functional Marathi have been given one month to learn the language and warned that their badges could be suspended or licences cancelled if they still fail to comply.
• Political reaction is split: Shiv Sena MLAs have asked for more time and organised local Marathi classes while Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the requirement as politicising language and warned it risks livelihoods.
• The push builds on an earlier 105‑day training the government says certified about 165,000 drivers and has raised legal and rights questions about migrants' ability to work and the impact on low‑income drivers.