India, Aug. 12 -- The Maharashtra government has reportedly extended its Marathi language mandate to app-based cab drivers working for aggregators like Ola, Uber and Rapido. This makes a working knowledge of the language mandatory for commercial passenger vehicle drivers operating within the state.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the state's transport minister Pratap Sarnaik said drivers need a practical understanding of Marathi to communicate effectively with passengers. The amendments were introduced following complaints that some non-Marathi drivers were bypassing the language requirement by exploiting ambiguities in the existing rules.

As per amendments made to the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, drivers could f...