Maharashtra govt plans to appoint 'Marathi language officers' to promote use of language

The Maharashtra government is planning to appoint "Marathi language officers" at the district level to address complaints that the Marathi language is not being used properly in administrative activities, minister Subhash Desai told the Legislative Council on Monday, July 5. The Maharashtra Official Languages Act was passed in 1964, but Desai warned the Legislative Council that it lacked the required clarity.

Maha govt planning to appoint 'Marathi language officers'

He said, "To bring about the clarity, to increase the scope of the act, and to ensure that there should not be a disregard for the Marathi language in the state, the need for amendment was felt."

On Monday, Desai introduced the Maharashtra Official Languages (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which amends the Maharashtra Official Language Act. Both the Assembly and the Council voted in favour of the bill. Desai went on to say that he had received multiple complaints and that it had been discovered that Marathi was not being adequately utilised by various authorities and corporations in the state.

The Shiv Sena leader stated, "So the use of the Marathi language must be increased in all these bodies. There are several websites of these authorities and corporations but all these websites are in English and not in Marathi."

It has been observed that English is used on social media platforms, but Marathi usage should be encouraged.  He claimed that the names of the stations on monorails in Mumbai are mispronounced on the boards.  Instead of "Vandre," he asserted the name on the board is "Bandra," a Mumbai suburb. He added, "There are several such complaints we received. We scrutinised them and made a big list."

Maha govt to focus more on Marathi launguage 

Desai related an event from the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation's flag-hoisting ceremony.  He stated, "One fan of Marathi language sent me an audio clip of the event. To my surprise, the entire program was held in Hindi." Desai also expressed surprise that the Maharashtra Fire Service department's website is in English. Desai added, "The office of the Nagpur police often issues instructions in Hindi to their police personnel. In Vidarbha, Hindi is used more frequently. So we need to see how we can increase the use of Marathi language there."

According to the minister, "Marathi language officers" will be appointed in each district to keep a careful eye on these complaints and guarantee that the Marathi language is used effectively. "What is happening now is that all these complaints are coming to Mumbai and we then have to look into these complaints which leads to delay," he said. The minister stated that if these complaints are addressed by a district authority, action can be taken immediately. Desai cited a provision in the amendment of district wise-committees that will keep a close eye on the district's operations and try to ensure that Marathi is used as much as possible in administrative tasks. He noted, "All these amendments have been included in the amendment bill."

(with inputs from PTI)

Picture Credit: PTI