All competitive examinations conducted through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) will be held in Marathi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said.
Fadnavis made the announcement in the state legislative council on Wednesday while responding to a question raised by Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Milind Narvekar.
Narvekar pointed out that some examinations related to agriculture and engineering disciplines were conducted only in English. He asked why the engineering-related exams were not being conducted in Marathi.
Addressing the query, CM Fadnavis said, “These exams are already conducted in both Marathi and English.
However, court had ruled in certain cases that some exams, particularly those related to agricultural engineering, should be conducted only in English.”
“When the matter was taken to the court, a discussion was held at the government level, and it was noted that textbooks for these subjects were not available in Marathi. This was brought to the court’s attention, and it accepted the argument,” he said.
The chief minister said efforts were underway to make Marathi textbooks available for technical subjects.
“The state government has now decided that even if textbooks are currently unavailable, the new education policy allows us to conduct engineering courses in Marathi. Therefore, the MPSC exams which are not held in Marathi due to the lack of study material will be supported with new textbooks. A structured timeline will be set with the MPSC, and these exams will also be conducted in Marathi,” he said.
This decision is expected to benefit Marathi-speaking students who aspire to take the MPSC exams but face difficulties due to the language barrier, he said.
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) NPTEL has translated 207 technical courses to regional languages. The IIT Madras NPTEL has also translated the ‘highly sought-after courses’ like ‘Introduction to Internet of Things’.