Marathi Language Skills, Documents of Auto and Taxi Drivers To Be Checked From May 1, Says Maharashtra Transport Minister

Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said a campaign will be launched from May 1, 2026, to check any fake documents and the Marathi language skills of rickshaw drivers and taxi drivers, including those working with app-based platforms, to determine if they know spoken Marathi. 

Minister Pratap Sarnaik insisted that learning to speak and understand the Marathi language and writing in Marathi is not compulsory. He said that the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh has initiated to teach the regional language to auto rickshaw drivers and taxi drivers in their various branches across the state.

"This will promote and propagate Marathi. The Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad will also jointly teach Marathi in the Konkan region," Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said.

The Maharashtra government will design a training curriculum to teach Marathi to auto and taxi drivers in the state as part of its decision to make the language compulsory for them from May 1, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Wednesday.

Also Read | Maharashtra Auto Strike: 15 Lakh Rickshaw Drivers Plan Statewide Stir From May 4 Against Marathi Proficiency Rule.

The state transport department has begun checking how many auto permit holders in Mira Bhayander in Mumbai know the Marathi language. The campaign will be held across 59 regional and sub-regional transport offices in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), where officials will test drivers on their proficiency in Marathi.

Mumbai | Maharashtra Transport Minister yesterday said, "The Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh has taken up the responsibility of teaching Marathi to auto rickshaw drivers and taxi drivers in their various branches across the state. This will promote and propagate Marathi. The Konkan… pic.twitter.com/Nr1Jgk5uZv

— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2026

Minister Sarnaik said drivers found proficient will be awarded a certificate, which the government will accept as proof of their proficiency in Marathi. 

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‘व्यावहारिक मराठी’ अनिवार्य; यासाठी मोटार वाहन नियमांमध्ये बदल होणार

राज्यात मराठी भाषेचा प्रसार व्हावा आणि नागरिकांशी संवाद अधिक सुलभ व्हावा, यासाठी रिक्षा व टॅक्सी चालकांना व्यावहारिक मराठी बोलणे अनिवार्य करण्याचा निर्णय परिवहन विभागाने घेतला… pic.twitter.com/1vVisE1eDB

— Pratap Baburao Sarnaik (@PratapSarnaik) April 23, 2026

On Thursday, Sarnaik held a meeting with educationists, litterateurs, cultural experts, and linguistic experts to chart a plan to implement the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, as well as a 2014-15 Maharashtra government-issued rule under the Act, mandating that cab and auto drivers know the “local language”. Under the Act, states can impose conditions via permits.

Sarnaik said that he will meet the Trade Union Leader of Auto Rickshaws and Taxi Drivers, Shashank Rao on April 28, along with several union leaders, to discuss their views. "We will listen to them and present our own. If there are any suggestions, we will implement them," he added.

Maharashtra Auto Drivers Protest 

Mumbai Autorickshawmen's Union announced a statewide protest from Monday, May 4, over the compulsory Marathi proficiency for auto and taxi drivers, threatening that the agitation will halt Mumbai. About 15 lakh auto drivers across the state, which will include around 5 lakh drivers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, will participate in the agitation in case the government does not pull back the decision to implement the policy.