As Maharashtra prepares to enforce a rule from May 1 requiring auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers to have basic Marathi speaking, reading, and writing skills, the push to learn the language has intensified across the state.

Recently, an assessment was conducted by the Bhayandar RTO, where officials found many drivers lacking minimum fluency. Based on these findings, the Transport Department under Minister Pratap Sarnaik has also decided to tighten enforcement while introducing structured training programmes to help drivers learn functional Marathi.

As tensions rise on the ground, “How to learn Marathi language” has suddenly become a trending Google search.

1. Learn Basic Marathi: A beginner-friendly channel that teaches Marathi through English. It focuses on simple, everyday conversations, perfect for quick learning.

2. Learn Marathi Easily: With 64.8K subscribers, this channel offers conversational lessons, WhatsApp-style chats, and basic grammar in an easy format.

In an era where apps are increasingly the preferred tool for education, several apps, including Ling, Gabha, and Marathi Language, are being explored to quickly pick up basic Marathi skills.

Ling: One of the most popular apps currently, with over 1 lakh downloads and strong ratings. It teaches through fill-in-the-blanks, real-life sentences, and native audio recordings.

Gabha: With around 10K downloads, this beginner-friendly app focuses on alphabets, pronunciation, grammar, and sentence building

Marathi Language App: This app covers a wide range of basics, right from everyday vocabulary (people, places, food) to cultural elements like shlokas and historical personalities. This app currently has 5K downloads and has been rated 4.2 on the Play Store.

Auto-rickshaw and taxi unions have threatened a statewide agitation from May 4 if the Maharashtra Transport Department does not withdraw its directive making Marathi language proficiency mandatory for drivers. The unions have set April 28 as the deadline for the government to roll back the order, failing which daily protests will begin across key public locations.

Not just this, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has convened a meeting today with leaders of various auto-rickshaw and taxi unions to discuss the proposed implementation of a mandatory ‘functional Marathi’ test for drivers seeking licences to operate passenger transport services in Maharashtra.

The meeting will be attended by key union representatives, including Sanjay Nirupam and labour leader Shashank Rao. In the meeting, discussions are expected to focus on the need for non-Marathi speaking drivers to acquire basic working knowledge of Marathi and the steps the government can take to facilitate language training.

Mumbai, April 27: ( Kamar Ansari) In a tragic incident, a family of four lost their lives following suspected food poisoning, raising serious concerns among local residents and health authorities.

According to preliminary information, the deceased include a 40-year-old man, his 35-year-old wife, and their two daughters aged 16 and 13. The incident unfolded after the family had dinner along with five relatives on the night of April 25, bringing the total number of people who shared the meal to nine. The relatives reportedly returned to their respective homes later that night without any immediate health issues.

Sources indicate that between 1:00 am and 1:30 am, the four family members consumed watermelon at their residence. By early morning, around 5:30 am to 6:00 am on April 26, all four began experiencing severe symptoms, including vomiting and loose motions.

The family initially sought treatment from a local doctor before being referred to Sir J. J. Hospital for advanced medical care. Despite efforts by doctors, the younger daughter succumbed at approximately 10:15 am, while the other three members also passed away later the same day, with the husband being declared dead around 10:30 pm.

Authorities have conducted post-mortem examinations on the bodies. However, the exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed, as the final opinion has been reserved pending histopathological reports.

An Accidental Death (AD) case has been registered at JJ Marg Police Station. Further investigation is underway to determine the precise source of the suspected poisoning, including examination of the food consumed.

Health officials are expected to analyze samples and medical findings to establish whether the cause was contaminated food, the watermelon consumed later, or any other factor. The incident has left the local community in shock, with authorities urging caution regarding food safety and hygiene.

Mumbai: The Byculla police have registered a case of cheating against a Jalgaon-based trader, identified as Amol Bhaskar Mahajan, for allegedly defrauding a Mumbai import-export businessman of Rs1.30 crore under the pretext of supplying bananas for export to Iran.

According to the FIR, the complainant, Abbas Mohammad Ali Deghani, 38, runs an import-export business dealing in fruits with markets in Iran, Iraq, and Dubai. He exports commodities such as bananas and turmeric to Iran and, due to trade practices requiring barter transactions, imports dates, pistachios, apples, and kiwis in return.

The complaint states that Deghani came into contact with an Iran-based broker, Mojtaba Ashuri, who deals in banana trade. Ashuri allegedly introduced Deghani to Mahajan, claiming that he owned a company named Sanriya Agro Produce OPC Pvt. Ltd. and was a major banana trader based in Jalgaon. Ashuri also shared Mahajan’s bank account details at an Axis Bank branch in Jalgaon.

Between October 21, 2022, and January 21, 2023, Deghani transferred a total of Rs1.30 crore to the said account for the purchase of bananas. However, despite receiving the full payment, Mahajan neither supplied the consignment nor refunded the money.

When Deghani repeatedly attempted to contact Mahajan through calls and messages, he allegedly failed to respond. During this period, Mahajan is said to have sent four invoices via WhatsApp to Ashuri in the name of his company. These invoices bore a director’s stamp but lacked any signature, raising suspicion. Ashuri subsequently forwarded these invoices to Deghani.

The FIR further notes discrepancies in the invoices, including inconsistencies between amounts mentioned in US dollars and Indian rupees, indicating that the documents were fabricated and had no legal validity.

Upon realizing that he had been cheated, Deghani approached the Byculla police station and filed a complaint. Based on his statement, the police have registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and have initiated further investigation into the matter.