Civil servants and personnel in government and educational establishments across Maharashtra could end up paying a price for actions that ‘undermine’ Marathi if the recommendations of a committee set up by the former Congress-NCP government are accepted.
The Congress-NCP government had first constituted a committee on Marathi language policy in June 2010. However the government chose to set up a new one February 2013 through a gazette notification. The mandate of the committee was to make recommendations to preserve and promote Marathi in educational institutions as well as other government agencies. The draft, put up on the State government’s website ( >www.maharashtra.gov.in ), is open for public feedback until December 15.
The document, drawn up by a 30-member advisory committee and headed by educationist and writer Nagnath Kotapalle, aims not only at conserving, but also promulgating the language globally.
According to its recommendations on the Marathi language policy for the next 25 years, promotions and increments of government servants are to be stringently linked to the ‘usage of correct’ Marathi in offices and establishments.
Career advancements of individuals are to be stopped, while establishments are to have their grants and privileges withheld if Marathi is not used at all by a person or establishment or used incorrectly. The panel further recommends appointment of special officers to monitor that “correct” Marathi is always spoken on television channels.
According to the document, there must be 50 per cent reservation for Marathi-speaking people in multinational companies. The document also suggests that 30 per cent of a film crew including technicians should be Marathi-speaking for a movie to be eligible for tax benefits.
“Few government and judicial bodies use Marathi in the course of their day-to-day functioning. It is generally absent in financial and industrial bodies. It is unfortunate that despite Marathi being the State language for over five decades, not a single Marathi medium university has come up in Maharashtra,” said Mr. Kotapalle.
Mr. Kotapalle, recently elected as president of 86th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, is known as a zealous crusader for the conservation of the language. According to him, all recommendations made in the draft policy were “eminently viable” and designed in such a way so as to permit its practical implementation.
“The purpose is to instill a sense of pride in the Marathi language. This in turn will facilitate make the conservation and promotion of Marathi,” he said.
