Overview
- The transport department has made it mandatory for non‑Marathi auto‑rickshaw and taxi drivers to finish a four‑hour Marathi communication course during the enrolment window that opened in June and to obtain a recognised certificate by mid‑August or face legal action.
- Only certificates issued by the Maharashtra State Marathi Language Department, the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad and the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh will be accepted by the transport department for compliance.
- Officials say the state has set up 71 training centres across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, mobilised about 4,500 teachers and directed RTO staff to help drivers register and complete the free course.
- The transport department has warned it will pursue legal and penal measures against drivers who do not hold the required certificate after the deadline while emphasising that the policy aims to encourage uptake rather than punish.
- Authorities describe the programme as a service‑quality measure to reduce language barriers between drivers and passengers, but centralising certification in three bodies could concentrate administrative control and affect thousands of drivers’ ability to operate legally.