The Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha (RMVS), a department formed to preserve and develop Marathi finds itself in a sticky situation: a set of documents containing the name of the person who would lead the State government’s efforts to promote the language has gone missing. On October 5, 2016, the State Information Commissioner ordering the department to file a first information report regarding the missing documents, after a determined pursuit of the matter by Right to Information activists.
Anand Bhandare, an activist with the Marathi Abhyas Kendra — a non-governmental group working to preserve and develop Marathi — had filed a series of RTI applications to dig out the reasons behind the non-appointment of a full time director at the RMVS. A two-year follow-up revealed that the RMVS, a State government-affiliated organisation, has been without a full-time director since 2010, and important files related to the appointment have gone missing. Interestingly, the State government is planning a large number of festivities on the occasion of Marathi Language Day at Gateway of India on February 27.
Education Minister Vinod Tawde, who is in charge of the department, had sought recommendations to appoint a full-time director at the RMVS from a three-member committee in March 2015. Despite that, one Anand Katikar was appointed as the Director in charge in August 2015. “When we sought those letters from the department, we were flatly told they have been misplaced,” said Deepak Pawar of the Marathi Abhyas Kendra.
“Following Katikar’s appointment by Mr. Tawde, the committee members too have gone silent. None of them even remembers whose name they recommended. This is suspicious and strange,” said Mr. Pawar, adding, despite the FIR, the original file could not be restored and the matter had to be closed without any action.
“The Chief Minister heads the RMVS managing committee and documents meant to be carrying recommendations for the full-time director are missing from the department. This is an embarrassing situation for the Government of Maharashtra, which should be thoroughly probed,” said Mr. Pawar.
