The Maharashtra Transport Department has issued a directive making it mandatory for social messages displayed on commercial vehicles (trucks, buses, and auto-rickshaws) to be written in Marathi. This rule will come into effect from the upcoming Gudi Padwa. The messages will focus on themes such as education, environmental conservation, and health awareness.
While announcing the order, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik emphasized that Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra and is widely spoken by its citizens.
He also highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts led to Marathi being granted classical language status, making it the government’s moral responsibility to preserve and promote the language.
As a result, popular slogans like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ will now appear in Marathi as ‘Mulgi Vachva, Mulgi Shikva’ on commercial vehicles.
Language Disputes Across States
This move comes at a time when linguistic disputes have been intensifying across several states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal. Against this backdrop, Maharashtra’s transport department has taken a significant decision to mandate Marathi for all social messages on commercial vehicles.
The government has stated that this new rule will be enforced from March 30, 2025, on Gudi Padwa, and all commercial vehicles will be required to comply with it.
