Maharashtra makes Marathi mandatory for taxi, rickshaw drivers from May 1

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.