India

Maharashtra Scraps Compulsory Hindi Exam for State Staff

Published: 2 September 2026 · 1 min read

What Happened

The Maharashtra government has abolished the mandatory Hindi proficiency examination for gazetted and non-gazetted government employees, ending a requirement that dates back to the 1950s. The state said Hindi has negligible use in official work, while government business is conducted mainly in Marathi and inter-government communication largely in English.

Key Takeaways

The decision aligns language requirements with current administrative practices and responds to long-standing demands from Marathi language groups. It also underscores Maharashtra's focus on Marathi as the primary language of state governance.

Sources

India TV, TOI