Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 7: The Maharashtra government will establish a ‘District Marathi Language Development Cell’ in every district collector's office to ensure wider use of Marathi in official government work and strengthen communication between the administration and citizens in the language.
Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant held a video conference with district collectors on Wednesday to review the establishment of the cells and directed district administrations to immediately identify and provide suitable space for them.
Each district administration has been asked to provide 500 to 600 square feet of space either within the collector's office or in its premises. The state Marathi Language Department will bear the expenditure towards the establishment and furniture of the cells, ensuring that there is no financial burden on district administrations. A separate provision has also been made for the initiative.
The move is aimed at achieving 100 per cent use of Marathi in government functioning across Maharashtra and strengthening communication between the government and the public in Marathi. The cells will work at the district level to promote and facilitate the implementation of Marathi in official administrative work.
Each District Marathi Language Development Cell will have one District Marathi Language Officer. Two clerk-cum-typists and one peon will also be appointed to assist the officer. The recruitment of these four positions on a contractual basis through an external agency is being undertaken by the Maharashtra State Marathi Development Institute.
The Marathi Language Department has also directed that Marathi language officers follow office working hours in the same manner as other government employees. The department is separately considering an increase in the salaries of language officers, according to the minister.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of the state's efforts to strengthen the implementation of Marathi as the official language. The Maharashtra Official Languages Act provides for district-level mechanisms to oversee the effective implementation of provisions relating to the use of Marathi in government offices. District Marathi Language Committees are empowered to address complaints regarding the non-use of Marathi for official purposes and organise programmes, workshops and other activities related to the language.
The latest move follows the government's efforts to accelerate work related to Marathi after the language received classical-language status. Samant has urged district collectors to respond positively to the initiative and make the required space available at the earliest.
The state government is also pursuing other initiatives to promote Marathi at the district level, including literary and language-related programmes. The broader objective is to strengthen the use of Marathi in administration while creating greater opportunities for literature, language development and communication between government institutions and citizens.