As Maharashtra prepares to enforce a rule from May 1 requiring auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers to have basic Marathi speaking, reading, and writing skills, the push to learn the language has intensified across the state.

Recently, an assessment was conducted by the Bhayandar RTO, where officials found many drivers lacking minimum fluency. Based on these findings, the Transport Department under Minister Pratap Sarnaik has also decided to tighten enforcement while introducing structured training programmes to help drivers learn functional Marathi.

As tensions rise on the ground, "How to learn Marathi language" has suddenly become a trending Google search.

As Marathi Becomes Mandatory For Auto-Taxi Drivers, Here Is A Practical Guide For Beginners

Here’s a quick look at the platforms people can learn simple Marathi language from:

YouTube Channels

1. Learn Basic Marathi: A beginner-friendly channel that teaches Marathi through English. It focuses on simple, everyday conversations, perfect for quick learning.

2. Learn Marathi Easily: With 64.8K subscribers, this channel offers conversational lessons, WhatsApp-style chats, and basic grammar in an easy format.

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Apps To Learn Marathi

In an era where apps are increasingly the preferred tool for education, several apps, including Ling, Gabha, and Marathi Language, are being explored to quickly pick up basic Marathi skills.

Ling: One of the most popular apps currently, with over 1 lakh downloads and strong ratings. It teaches through fill-in-the-blanks, real-life sentences, and native audio recordings.

Gabha: With around 10K downloads, this beginner-friendly app focuses on alphabets, pronunciation, grammar, and sentence building

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Marathi Language App: This app covers a wide range of basics, right from everyday vocabulary (people, places, food) to cultural elements like shlokas and historical personalities. This app currently has 5K downloads and has been rated 4.2 on the Play Store.

Statewide Agitation From May 4

Auto-rickshaw and taxi unions have threatened a statewide agitation from May 4 if the Maharashtra Transport Department does not withdraw its directive making Marathi language proficiency mandatory for drivers. The unions have set April 28 as the deadline for the government to roll back the order, failing which daily protests will begin across key public locations.

Not just this, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has convened a meeting today with leaders of various auto-rickshaw and taxi unions to discuss the proposed implementation of a mandatory 'functional Marathi' test for drivers seeking licences to operate passenger transport services in Maharashtra.

The meeting will be attended by key union representatives, including Sanjay Nirupam and labour leader Shashank Rao. In the meeting, discussions are expected to focus on the need for non-Marathi speaking drivers to acquire basic working knowledge of Marathi and the steps the government can take to facilitate language training.

FPJ does not promote any of these apps or channels

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