Minister for Marathi Language Subhash Desai on Wednesday said no action will be taken against motorists who get number plates of vehicles in Marathi.
Though the Central government has time and again turned down the Maharashtra government’s request of making the changes in the existing law to allow number plates in Marathi, Mr. Desai said there was nothing wrong in using the State language. He said, “Marathi is the local language and there is no harm in promoting the language in various ways possible.”
The Minister said he has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to ensure implementation of the three language formula. He said the Central government must ensure that Marathi as a language is promoted in Central offices, banks and post offices. “This has been a longstanding demand which has not been implemented by the Centre in the past decades. I have now written to the Union Minister to look into it.”
Mr. Desai also said the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will be introducing a Bill in the budget session to make teaching Marathi mandatory in all schools up to Class X irrespective of the board they are affiliated to.
Mr. Desai said the draft of the Bill is being prepared and the proposed legislation will be introduced in the budget session, which starts on February 24. Addressing reporters, he said, “There are 25,000 schools in Maharashtra that do not teach Marathi. [Once the Bill is passed] it will be mandatory for all schools to teach the Marathi language as part of their curriculum. The draft is being finalised. We are working on its intricacies.”
Besides schools affiliated to the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary & Higher Secondary Education, there are a number of schools that follow the syllabus prescribed by education boards such as ICSE, CBSE and IGCSE.
(With PTI inputs)