MPSC Exams to Be Conducted in Marathi, Announces Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis
Mumbai, 13th March 2025: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced that all Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) examinations will be available in Marathi. Addressing a query raised by Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Milind Narvekar in the state legislative council, CM Fadnavis acknowledged concerns about certain agriculture and engineering exams being conducted exclusively in English, as reported by PTI. Narvekar specifically highlighted the lack of a Marathi option for engineering-related exams.
CM Fadnavis explained that while most exams are offered in both Marathi and English, legal rulings had mandated English for some agricultural engineering exams due to the absence of Marathi textbooks in these subjects. However, efforts are underway to develop Marathi study materials for technical disciplines, he assured. He also pointed to the New Education Policy (NEP 2020), which supports conducting engineering courses in regional languages, including Marathi.
The MPSC had previously conducted exams only in English because of a lack of relevant study materials in Marathi. To address this, the government is preparing supporting textbooks and will coordinate with MPSC to establish a schedule for introducing Marathi-language exams. This move is intended to help Marathi-speaking students who face difficulties due to language barriers in competitive exams.
This announcement comes amid ongoing debates over language policies in education, particularly between the Tamil Nadu government and the Union Education Ministry. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has accused the central government of attempting to impose Hindi, while Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has refuted these claims, asserting that no language is being forced upon anyone or used to infringe on anyone’s rights.
During a discussion in the Rajya Sabha regarding the Education Ministry’s functioning, Pradhan emphasized that India is a diverse, multilingual country, and the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi respects linguistic diversity. He stated that “Tamil is not the monopoly of any single entity” and reaffirmed that the government remains committed to preserving and promoting all regional languages.
