Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday softened his earlier stance regarding the mandatory teaching of Hindi in all state schools. He addressed concerns about the “imposition” of Hindi, stating that only Marathi would be mandated in schools. He also mentioned that students in Class 1 would now have the option to select languages other than Hindi.

However, a resolution issued by the Maharashtra government on April 17 had already designated Hindi as a compulsory third language for students from classes 1 to 5 starting in the 2026-27 academic year, and the new syllabus in line with the National Education Policy is set to take effect this year.

Fadnavis commented, “It is incorrect to claim that there are efforts to impose Hindi. Marathi will remain compulsory in Maharashtra, and there will be no additional requirements. Hindi will not be mandatory,” he shared with reporters in Pune. This statement came shortly after the state’s Marathi Language Department’s language advisory committee requested him to retract the decision mandating Hindi.

He also expressed surprise at the opposition to Indian languages like Hindi, suggesting that people tend to embrace English more. “Why do we hold English in higher regard than our own languages?” Fadnavis queried.

His retreat followed criticism from nearly all opposition parties in Maharashtra about the proposal to teach Hindi from Class 1. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena declared its intention to prevent the Fadnavis government from enforcing Hindi in schools, while the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), led by Raj Thackeray, initiated protests and hung banners opposing the move.

The Congress party accused the government of attempting to undermine the Marathi language, identity, and culture by making Hindi compulsory. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), led by Sharad Pawar, warned that disregarding Marathi under the guise of the New Education Policy would not be tolerated, and the state unit of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) threatened to protest.

The issue sparked a rare alliance between Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray, who set aside their differences to collectively oppose the promotion of Hindi in Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, Lakshmikant Deshmukh, chairman of the Maharashtra state language consultation committee, wrote to the government stating that making Hindi a mandatory subject from Class 1, alongside Marathi and English, would place an undue burden on primary school students. Copies of the letter were sent to Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, as well as to the Minister for Marathi Language, Uday Samant.

Deshmukh pointed out, “No language has been made compulsory under the National Education Policy. On the contrary, the NEP advocates for education to be delivered in one’s mother tongue. Therefore, enforcing Hindi as a third language is inappropriate.” He noted that the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) did not consult the Maharashtra state language advisory committee before finalizing the language policy.

The committee, consisting of linguists, language scholars, and educators, argued that introducing Hindi at this level is not educationally appropriate. Deshmukh emphasized, “Teaching Hindi as a third language from Class 1 is unnecessary and contradicts established educational principles. We formally request the chief minister to review this decision to avoid overburdening students.”

In the past, several educational organizations, including the Marathi Abhyas Kendra, Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Principals’ Association, and Maharashtra Progressive Teachers’ Association, have also written to the state’s education minister requesting a retraction of the decision.

Furthermore, senior educationist Ramesh Panse has endorsed their concerns in support of the letter. These organizations opined that Hindi should only be made compulsory in Maharashtra once northern states commit to teaching Marathi or a Dravidian language, insisting, “North Indians should learn Marathi more than Maharashtrians need to learn Hindi.”

The Marathi Ekikaran Samiti strongly condemned this decision, stating that Hindi cannot be classified as a national language and its compulsion constitutes linguistic imperialism, which is unfair to students.

The Uttarakhand government’s initiative to bolster the economy of border villages by supplying animal products and fish to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) has proven successful, generating ₹2.6 crore in revenue for villagers within the last four months.

According to officials from the state animal husbandry department, providing mutton, fish, and chicken to the ITBP could potentially yield ₹20 crore annually through the production of 800 metric tonnes of these products.

As reported by the state Animal Husbandry Department, ten cooperative societies and Farmers Producer Organizations (FPOs) from Pithoragarh, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, and Champawat have collectively earned about ₹2.6 crore since the implementation of this scheme by the Pushkar Singh Dhami government.

The initiative commenced after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Uttarakhand government and the ITBP on October 30, 2023. Under this agreement, the state government has provided support to farmers in raising high-breed goats and chickens for supply to the ITBP, aimed at creating direct employment and business opportunities for local communities.

Following the launch of the scheme, farmers have begun supplying mutton and chicken to the ITBP. They delivered a total of 79,530 kilograms of meat, including 42,748 kilograms of sheep-goat, 29,407 kilograms of chicken, and 7,374 kilograms of trout fish to the nearest ITBP camps, resulting in net earnings of ₹2.6 crore.

A formal contract was established between the Animal Husbandry Department and the ITBP on October 30, involving 253 farmers from the ten cooperative societies and FPOs in the Pithoragarh, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, and Champawat districts, who are now supplying live mutton, chicken, and fish to the nearest ITBP battalion.

Dr. BVRC Purushottam, Secretary of the State Animal Husbandry Department, stated that farmers receive payment through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) within 24 hours of their deliveries. “The department has established a revolving fund of ₹5 crore to assist farmers in border villages with raising high-yield goats, sheep, chickens, and trout fish. This will enable them to generate an annual net income of approximately ₹20 crore. It is anticipated that under this scheme, the ITBP will receive 800 metric tonnes of mutton, chicken, and fish annually, leading to a significant improvement in the livelihoods of marginalized farmers in border areas,” Purushottam emphasized.

In response to the devastating cloudburst in Ramban district, Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the affected regions on Monday to evaluate the situation firsthand.

Joined by the Deputy Commissioner of Ramban and other senior civil and police officials, the Chief Minister made the journey from Srinagar to Marog, one of the villages most severely impacted by the disaster.

Demonstrating a strong commitment to his constituents, he trekked several kilometers through challenging terrain to reach Kela Morh, where flash floods, triggered by the cloudburst, wreaked havoc.

The natural disaster has resulted in the loss of three lives and has caused significant damage to homes, vehicles, and essential road infrastructure. Ramban district, a critical link between the Kashmir Valley and Jammu, has been isolated for the second day due to debris and damage affecting the National Highway, the region’s main transport route.

During his visit, the Chief Minister spoke with local residents and district administration officials, receiving updates on the extent of the damage and the progress of ongoing rescue and relief efforts. He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and assured that the government is committed to supporting the victims during this tragic time.

“The scale of destruction is truly distressing. Our administration is actively engaged on the ground, working tirelessly to ensure the safety and recovery of every affected family,” said Omar Abdullah. “We will do everything possible to support our community through this challenging period,” he added.

He directed relevant departments to expedite the restoration of the highway to facilitate the resumption of vehicular traffic as quickly as possible. The district administration informed the Chief Minister that clearance efforts are currently underway, with teams from the Public Works Department (PWD), Border Roads Organization (BRO), disaster response units, police, volunteers, and local residents collaborating tirelessly to remove mudslides and boulders and restore normalcy to the affected areas.