Linguistics over licences in Maharashtra
Taxi and auto drivers in Mumbai are attending mandatory Marathi language courses to retain their operating permits. The policy, pushed by local transport officials, has sparked political debate regarding migration and language requirements.
Why it matters
This highlights the intersection of regional identity politics, labor rights, and administrative governance in urban India.
Inside Mumbai’s Andheri Regional Transport Office (RTO), rows of plastic chairs that once held people waiting for their token numbers to take driving tests, now seat a different kind of crowd: auto drivers, with notebooks open, mouthing Marathi sentences for the first time in their working lives. The four-day Marathi course, introduced from June 1, has become an unlikely part at five of 25 RTOs, each in a different zone in Mumbai. Every day, 50 to 80 drivers turn up at each centre, racing to clear a language test before their permits are flagged.
The article reports on the policy and the resulting political friction without taking a side, providing perspectives from both officials and affected drivers.
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