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Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maharashtra: Academicians welcome scrapping of GRs on three language policy
Academics in Pune welcomed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's announcement of the scrapping of the two government resolutions (GRs) on three-language policy on Sunday evening. The first resolution had introduced Hindi as the compulsory third language from class 1 in Maharashtra State Board schools, while the amended second resolution gave students the option to choose any Indian language as their third language. However, the decision to introduce Hindi as a third language was met with opposition from academics, language experts, and political groups. Now, Fadnavis has announced that the GRs will be scrapped and a committee headed by Dr Narendra Jadhav will relook the issue. Laxmikant Deshmukh, the chairperson of the government-appointed Language Consultation Committee that has been strongly opposing the move, said that the government has bowed to the unity of the Marathi people. 'There was no need to introduce a third language without putting any thought into the decision. Hindi language is being taught from class 5. So, increasing the student's burden from class 1 was not required. There is also no need to form the committee and the move should have been just cancelled completely. It gives the feeling that the government still has the thought of implementing Hindi as the third language. The fear will remain,' he told The Indian Express. Vasant Kalpande, former Director of School Education of Maharashtra, said it was wrong to make such a GR in the first place. 'Now, a committee has been formed. We had recommended the same to the SCERT director today. Although the meeting had no relation to this decision (of scrapping), the decision was made parallely,' he added. Milind Joshi, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, shared a statement saying the decision is in the interest of the state and its students. ' On behalf of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, I congratulate him (Fadnavis) wholeheartedly. He was the one who had taken the initiative to make Marathi Language education compulsory. I hope that he will continue to make decisions in the interest of the Marathi language in the future,' the statement mentioned. Former head of Maharashtra School Principals Association Mahendra Ganpule told The Indian Express said that the announcement has been made to cool down the political climate that had emerged. 'But a committee has been formed under Narendra Jadhav. Who will be the members of that committee? We can say that at least for this year this crisis has been averted but the fight will have to be kept on until the decision of having a third language doesn't get completely cancelled,' he added. 7-hour marathon meet Earlier in the day, two marathon meetings stretching to 7 hours took place at the State Council Of Educational Research And Training in Pune between officials, academics and language stakeholders over the three-language issue. SCERT Director Rahul Rekhawar and Education Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh met Deshmukh, Kalpande, Joshi, Ganpule, Deccan Education Society's Anand Katikar, former Joint director of education Bhau Gawande, former education secretary of Balbharti Dhanwanti Hardikar, who expressed their opposition to the introduction of the three-language policy. Just as the last few members of the meeting were walking out of the gate of the building at 7pm, news of Fadnavis announcing the cancellation of the GRs rolled in. Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Chief minister Fadnavis rolls back Hindi govt resolutions as Opposition hits the streets in Mumbai
Mumbai: Buffeted by an anti-Hindi campaign led by the Thackeray cousins, CM Fadnavis Sunday announced that the state cabinet had decided to scrap two govt resolutions (GRs) to introduce Hindi as a third language for Class 1 students. The announcement came on a day when public protests against introducing Hindi in primary school started with Uddhav Thackeray present at a symbolic burning of the GRs at Azad Maidan. A stormy start was also expected to the monsoon session of the state legislature on Monday. The CM has set up a panel led by academic Narendra Jadhav to frame recommendations for implementing a three-language policy. "Our policy is Marathi-centric and Marathi student-centric," said the CM. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Following the announcement, the Thackerays called off a joint protest rally to be held on July 5 and instead announced a 'victory procession'. Both Sena (UBT) and MNS had described the move to start Hindi lessons in primary school as a 'linguistic imposition'. Fadnavis said the administration had only followed the recommendations of a panel set up by Uddhav govt in 2020 on adopting the National Education Policy. He said the report was accepted by Thackeray, Congress and NCP (SP). "But as usual when in power speak differently, when out of power speak differently," said the CM. "Raj Thackeray must ask Uddhav Thackeray if he gave approval then how has he set out to hold an agitation now," he added. The govt had been under pressure from its own Language Advisory Committee, which passed a resolution that no third language including Hindi be taught before Class 5. The Opposition led by the Thackeray cousins had then announced a morcha against the introduction of Hindi on July 5. Several litterateurs and celebrities had announced their decision to join the morcha as also the Congress and the NCP (SP). Defending the GR for the third language, Fadnavis said the Mashelkar committee set up during the tenure of Uddhav Thackeray submitted a 101-page report recommending such a move. The committee was led by scientist Raghunath Mashelkar and had a sub-committee which included Shiksha Vidya Prabodhini founder Vijay Kadam, a 'deputy leader' of Sena (UBT), he added. "Point number 8.1 (of the report) states English and Hindi languages should be implemented as second languages from first standard onwards. If students learn English for 12 years from first to twelfth standard, they will develop proficiency in English and be able to read necessary books. They will be prepared for engineering, medical and other technical-professional courses. While priority must be given to teaching in Marathi in higher education institutions, English and Hindi as second languages should be made compulsory from first standard to 12th. If needed, they should also be made compulsory in the 3 or 4-year degree courses of college education," said Fadnavis, quoting from the report. He said the new panel will study the Mashelkar report and engage with those opposed to the policy before making recommendations. The other members of the committee will be announced shortly and the committee will submit its report in three months, he said. Explaining the evolution of the three-language policy, he said the NEP was first adopted by Karnataka followed by MP, Telangana and UP. "On 21 Sept, 2020 then CM Uddhav Thackeray announced the setting up of an expert committee on how to apply this NEP." Fadnavis said after the report was submitted on Sept 14, 2021, it came before the cabinet on Jan 20, 2022. Its minutes were confirmed on Jan 7, 2022 and signed by CM Thackeray. There is no mention of keeping aside the three-language policy," said Fadnavis. "It is not true when some say the report was not accepted. The report was accepted and to implement it, a committee was set up to frame rules. In our tenure following the work of the committee the GRs were issued. "We issued the first GR on 16 April, 2025 mentioning Marathi as compulsory followed by English as second language and Hindi as third language. There was an uproar and a second GR was issued on 17 June 2025 and in that we said any Indian language can be studied as a third language. Marathi is compulsory. The study of a third language is not from Std I. It is only an oral study, reading and writing is from Std III. Our govt did not take the decision, we did not make Hindi compulsory, rather (we) gave the option of any Indian language," said Fadnavis. Fadnavis said when the govt issued the second GR it was made clear they wanted to implement it through consensus and the education minister had begun holding consultations. After the CM's press meet, deputy CM Ajit Pawar urged the Opposition to call off the July 5 morcha and not inconvenience people in Mumbai. "The reason for holding the morcha is no longer there," he said.
United News of India
3 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Maha govt scraps three-language policy
Mumbai, June 29 (UNI) the Maharashtra Cabinet today decided to withdraw the three-language policy, which had generated much political heat over the issue of teaching Hindi as a third language to students from classes 1 to 5. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed that the Cabinet has decided to withdraw the policy. Fadnavis announced that a committee will be formed under the leadership of Dr. Narendra Jadhav on behalf of the state government to decide from which class the three-language formula. should be implemented. As per the provisions of the new education plan of the central government, the Mahayuti government had announced that Hindi would be taught as a third language to students from classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English medium schools. The opposition had raised a huge uproar. Raj Thackeray's MNS and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) have decided to stage a protest on June 5. UNI SP SSP.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Our govt took historic decision to set up 3 NLUs in Maharashtra, says CM Fadnavis
Nagpur: Pointing out that no state in the country has such an arrangement, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the Maharashtra govt under him took the historic decision of setting up three National Law Universities (NLUs) — Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Mumbai — to settle the debate over its location nearly a decade ago. He also highlighted the role played by former CJI Sharad Bobde, then SC judge and CJI Bhushan Gavai, then at the Nagpur bench of Bombay HC, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, and himself in chalking out a plan for bringing the Maharashtra NLU to Nagpur. In a lighter vein, Fadnavis said he witnessed the growth of MNLU in different capacities — as CM, leader of opposition, DyCM, and CM. He was speaking at the inauguration of the new administrative block of MNLU in Nagpur on Sunday. The university began functioning in the Civil Lines area in July 2016, with the High Court Bar Association playing a key role in securing the land. Fadnavis said that this university is equipped with all facilities for quality education. "The surrounding environment enhances the natural beauty of the campus. Funds have been allocated for the university in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and land has been selected for the Mumbai campus. In the coming years, all three universities will operate at full capacity," he said. The CM added that not only their infrastructure will be of high quality, but these universities should also achieve global academic excellence. "Students should achieve success on a global stage. Three significant pre-Independence laws have been amended, not merely renamed but Indianised. These changes will enable the use of new technology, speeding up judicial processes and increasing conviction rates," he said. As India becomes the world's fourth-largest economy, the CM said, swift resolution of commercial and investment-related cases is essential to attract investment. "India's Constitution is the finest, establishing an ideal as a sustainable value. To face the challenges of a changing world, students have no better platform than this university. Challenges like cybercrime and cyber breaches exist, but Artificial Intelligence offers opportunities. Students must take responsibility for bringing positive changes to the legal field through technology," he said. Putting the onus on teachers, he said the university should now provide education in innovation, creativity and modern processes, alongside academics. "The govt will fully support all initiatives to make this university the best and self-sufficient in the country," he said. Gadkari Hails Fadnavis' Role In MNLU Setup Acknowledging CM Devendra Fadnavis' persistent efforts in establishing the university and its modern facilities, Union minister Gadkari said this will lead to the university's qualitative growth. "Updating knowledge is crucial, and this university will set an excellent example. Knowledge is a great power that must be transformed into wealth. By leveraging modern technologies like digital advancements, the university should achieve commendable performance globally," he said. Gadkari praised the institution's innovative policy and design, highlighting its vision and the potential of its bright, upcoming students. Inauguration of the new administrative building was followed by a tour of the facility by dignitaries. The Chief Justice of India, Bhushan Gavai, who is also chancellor of MNLU, also performed the groundbreaking ceremony for the library building. Vice-chancellor Vijender Kumar delivered the introductory speech while registrar Ragini Khubalkar expressed gratitude.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Mumbai now loudspeaker-free after CM intervened, say police
EVEN AS the issue of removal of loudspeakers from mosques by police in the past few weeks led to opposition by some religious organisations, Mumbai Police Saturday said the city is now 'loudspeaker-free'. Officials said that it was Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who held a series of meetings with delegations from the two communities to amicably resolve the issue. Confirming that its personnel successfully completed a comprehensive crackdown on public address systems at all religious structures, Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti on Saturday said that Mumbai is now 'loudspeaker-free from all religious structures'. Earlier this year, the Bombay High Court had directed the government to ensure that action was taken against loudspeaker violations. The police commissioner, refuting claims of selective targeting, made it clear that religious structures of a particular community were not singled out. While the ban on permanent loudspeakers is now in effect, the police commissioner clarified that temporary permissions for the use of loudspeakers will be granted during religious festivals. In the past few days, however, some Muslim organisations had alleged that the police were taking down all loudspeakers irrespective of whether they were violating norms or not. Some delegations had also met senior police officers and also written to CM Fadnavis against it. Sources in the government said that CM Fadnavis held a series of meetings with delegations representing Hindus, Muslims and others to amicably resolve the controversial loudspeaker ban on places of worship'. An official said, 'Fadnavis had made it clear that the state government will strictly adhere to the rules and directives of the High Court. And it would be applicable to all.' He also indicated that the state will not allow any confrontation or law and order issue arising on the subject. 'Therefore, before initiating any action, Fadnavis who also holds the Home portfolio, held detailed discussions with top police officers in order to guide them how to go ahead with the drive,' the official said. Apart from that Fadnavis also spoke to Muslim leaders and impressed upon them the significance of adhering to Court orders on loudspeakers. On June 25, a group of Muslim delegation met Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, complaining that police were removing loudspeakers from mosques in the state. NCP leader Nawab Malik, along with former AIMIM MLA Warris Pathan, his party legislator and daughter Sana Malik, Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, and others, had called upon Ajit Pawar to raise their concerns. The deputy CM assured them he would look into the matter. At the same time, he also brought to their notice Bombay High Court order, which prescribed permissible decibel limits mandatory for all places of worship. According to the Bombay High Court ruling, the permissible sound level for loudspeakers is 55 decibels during the daytime and 45 decibels at night. In addition, loudspeakers are not permitted between 10 pm and 6 am.
