Less than 20 per cent of autorickshaw drivers inspected during a pilot drive to check Marathi proficiency were found unable to converse in the language, even as transport authorities confirmed to The Indian Express that all inspected drivers carried valid licences and badges. The pilot was conducted in the Mira-Bhayandar region between April 2 and May 1, ahead of the state-wide inspection campaign that began on Maharashtra Day. The area RTO has around 12,000 registered autorickshaws. Of the 3,760 drivers checked, 587 could not demonstrate functional knowledge of Marathi, The Indian Express has learned. The drive is now being used as the basis for the larger exercise across all 59 RTOs in Maharashtra, from May 1 to August 15. On completion, each RTO will submit its verification drive data to the state transport department. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, whose assembly constituency partly covers the Mira-Bhayandar region, said the objective was not to threaten drivers’ livelihoods.…