Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday, 20 July directed state officials to formulate and execute a concrete action plan for the preservation, promotion, and development of the Marathi language, at a meeting of the Governing Council of the Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha (State Marathi Development Institute) in Mumbai. The directive signals a renewed push to institutionalise Marathi's growth after years of administrative backlog at the apex body.

Key Directives from the Chief Minister

Fadnavis instructed that a yearly calendar of all statutory meetings be finalised in advance, aimed at ensuring consistency, transparency, and efficiency in the institute's functioning. He congratulated the Sanstha on completing all its statutory compliance requirements, noting that clearing accumulated administrative arrears has significantly strengthened its organisational framework.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the focus must now shift from compliance to implementation — specifically on policies covering promotion, dissemination, research, and conservation of Marathi. He also assured that pending employee-related issues within the institute would be resolved with a positive approach.

Proposals to Preserve Dialects and Folk Traditions

Members of the Governing Council put forward several substantive suggestions during the meeting. These included scaling up the 'Village of Books' and 'Box Libraries' initiatives to deliver quality Marathi literature to schools in tribal and border areas. A proposal was also made to establish a theatre complex in the Gadchiroli-Wadsa region to preserve Jhadiboli dialects and the theatrical traditions of Eastern Vidarbha.

Council members additionally recommended safeguarding Marathi heritage through folk art forms — including Bharud, Gondhal, and Powada — and promoting children's literature through specialised libraries for young readers. Fadnavis assured that all recommendations would be considered constructively.

Digitisation and the London Global Marathi Centre

The Chief Minister also reviewed the progress of a digitisation project covering approximately 1.5 million historical script documents located in Thanjavur. Discussions were held on accelerating the establishment of the Global Marathi Centre, named after Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, in London.

International and Academic Initiatives

Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant informed the council that the process of establishing 75 International Bruhanmarathi Forums to promote Marathi globally is currently underway. At the academic level, 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', tasked with making high-quality literature from various Indian and global languages available in Marathi. Together, these moves represent the Maharashtra government's most comprehensive Marathi promotion agenda in recent years.