Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday directed officials to prepare and implement an effective action plan for the preservation, promotion, and development of the Marathi language. He also instructed that a yearly calendar of all statutory meetings be finalised in advance to ensure consistency, transparency, and efficiency in the functioning of the Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha (State Marathi Development Institute).
The Chief Minister was speaking at a meeting of the Governing Council of the Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha. CM Fadnavis congratulated the institute on completing all its statutory compliance requirements. He noted that clearing the administrative and statutory backlog accumulated over the past few years has significantly strengthened the institute's organizational framework.
He emphasised that the focus must now shift to implementing concrete policies for the promotion, dissemination, research, and conservation of the Marathi language. He further assured that pending issues concerning the institute's employees would be addressed with a positive approach.
During the meeting, members offered several key suggestions for preserving Marathi and its various local dialects. Highlights included scaling up initiatives like 'Village of Books' and 'Box Libraries' to deliver quality literature to Marathi schools in tribal and border areas.
They also suggested the establishment of a theater complex in the Gadchiroli-Wadsa region to preserve Jhadiboli dialects and the theatrical traditions of Eastern Vidarbha and safeguarding Marathi heritage through folk art forms such as Bharud, Gondhal, and Powada, alongside promoting children’s literature and specialized libraries for young readers.
CM Fadnavis assured that all recommendations would be considered constructively. Additionally, the Chief Minister reviewed the progress of the digitization project involving approximately 1.5 million historical script documents located in Thanjavur.
Discussions were also held on accelerating the establishment of the Global Marathi Center named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in London. Speaking on international initiatives, Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant shared that the process of establishing 75 International Bruhanmarathi Forums to promote Marathi globally is currently underway.
Furthermore, a chair named after the legendary poet Kusumagraj and a postgraduate course on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s guerrilla warfare tactics have been launched at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The government has also decided to constitute the 'Yashwantrao Chavan Translation Committee' to make high-quality literature from various Indian and global languages available in Marathi.