The app, aimed at easing integration for people from other states living in Maharashtra, is expected to roll out by the end of this year.
Mumbai: With language-related tensions on the rise, the Maharashtra government is set to introduce a mobile app to help migrants learn Marathi. The app, aimed at easing integration for people from other states living in Maharashtra, is expected to roll out by the end of this year.
“It is no use beating up people for not speaking Marathi. It is better to teach them to speak the language,” said Marathi Bhasha Minister Uday Samant at a press conference held in Mantralaya on Wednesday. He added that while the decision had been taken earlier, work on the curriculum is now in progress. The state will also run offline Marathi classes for anyone interested in learning the language.
Meanwhile, in another key decision, the cabinet approved rs 5 crore to purchase a historic building in London, currently housing the Maharashtra Mandal. The property, originally leased from the Church of England since 1991 for 99 years, was offered for sale as its ownership was changing hands.
Once acquired, the building will be renamed ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vaishvik Marathi Bhasha Kendra’, serving as a global Marathi cultural and language centre. One lakh Marathi-speaking people live in the surrounding neighbourhood, and the centre will run Marathi language classes for the diaspora, especially for children.
