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The Maharashtra government has made it a requirement for the opening pages of its departmental and ministerial websites to be in Marathi, alongside a uniform format and naming protocol. An official said on Monday that the move is part of the government's renewed performance targets for the next 150 days.

 

"As we are in the era of cyber fraud and misleading websites, the government has taken this stand. All ministries and departments must develop their websites in a specific format, which includes using the '.gov.in' domain in their official name. The opening page will always be in Marathi, as it is the official state language," an official said to the media.

 

He said there will be an option to read the same content in English, adding that the directive is part of a broader effort by the state government to ensure consistency and accountability across departments.

 

Under the new guidelines, all government websites will feature a uniform user interface with the names of the chief minister, deputy chief ministers, and governor, as well as prominent links for citizen services, the Right to Information (RTI) Act, and department-specific initiatives and services such as 'Aaple Sarkar'.

 

Another senior official said the decision stemmed from the government's experience with its first 100-day performance plan. "Each department had set its own targets, which led to inconsistencies and made it difficult to compare their achievements fairly. For instance, while one department aimed at reforming old laws, another focused only on streamlining operations. This created an imbalance in assessment," the official said.

 

The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) has now insisted on uniform parameters for all departments so that performance can be objectively compared. "Once standardisation is achieved, the state plans to recognise and reward top-performing ministries," he said. "The Quality Council of India has been tasked with appointing third-party agencies to assess departmental performance. The three best-performing departments will be presented with an award by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at an event in Mumbai on October 2."

 

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