English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

Renaming spree: Modi government renamed 25 towns and villages in one year

Published

8 years ago

on

Renaming spree: Modi government renamed 25 towns and villages in one year

The Centre gave consent for the renaming of at least 25 towns and villages across India in the past one year, said media reports.

Among the pending proposals is one for the state of West Bengal, according to officials.

Allahabad and Faizabad are the latest additions to the growing list of places that have been renamed. According to officials, the proposals to change the names of Allahabad to Prayagraj and Faizabad to Ayodhya are yet to be received by the ministry from the Uttar Pradesh government.

Some of the approved name change proposals are: Rajahmundry as Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh; Outer Wheeler, situated in Bhadrak district of Odisha, as APJ Abdul Kalam Island; Arikkod in Malappura district of Kerala as Areekode; Pindari in Jind district of Haryana as Pandu-Pindara; and Samphur in Kiphire district of Nagaland as Sanphure.

Other renaming proposals approved by the ministry include Landgewadi to Narsinhagaon in Sangali district of Maharashtra; Garhi Sampla as Ch. Sir Chhotu Ram Nagar in Rohtak district of Haryana; Khatu Kalan village as Bari Khatu in Nagour district of Rajasthan; Mihgawan Chhakka and Mihgawan Tilia as Mihgawan Sarkar and Mihgawan Ghat respectively in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh and Shukratal Khadar as Sukhtirth Khadar and Shukratal Bangar as Sukhtirth Bangar in Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh.

However, a proposal to change the name of Kacharigaon to Phevima in Dimapur district of Nagaland was rejected by the home ministry recently, the official said.

The home ministry considers such proposals according to the existing guidelines in consultations with agencies concerned, another official said.

The home ministry gives its consent to the change of name of any place after taking no-objections from the Ministry of Railways, Department of Posts and Survey of India.

These organisations have to confirm that there is no such town or village in their records with a name similar to the proposed one.

The renaming of a state requires amendment of the constitution with a simple majority in parliament. For changing the name of a village or town, an executive order is needed.

The proposal to change the name of West Bengal to ‘Bangla’, as suggested by the state government, was recently forwarded by the home ministry to the ministry of external affairs for its opinion as the proposed name sounded similar to the name of neighbouring country Bangladesh, the official said.

On Thursday, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said the state government was considering renaming Ahmedabad as Karnavati and the name change could be effected before next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

BJP leader Raja Singh said on Thursday that the party would “aim” to rename Hyderabad and other cities in the state after the names of great people if it is elected to power in Telangana after the forthcoming assembly polls.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, breaking his silence on his renaming spree across the state, said that the government “did what felt good”. Indicating that the state government is likely to rename more cities, Adityanath said that the required steps will be taken, whenever there is a need.

“We did what we felt was good. We renamed Mughalsarai as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhayay Nagar, Allahabad as Prayagraj and Faizabad as Ayodhya. Where there is a need, the government will take the steps required,” he said.

A few days after Allahabad and Faizabad were renamed as Prayagraj and Ayodhya, respectively, more demands have been coming from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Friday, BJP lawmaker Jagan Prasad Garg demanded the renaming of Agra as either Agravan or Agraval.

Garg, who represents the Agra North constituency, said, “Agra has no meaning. You check the name Agra anywhere, what relevance does it have?”

“Earlier, there used to be a lot of forests here. And people from the Agarwal community used to live here. So the name should be Agra-van or Agra-wal,” was his curious argument.

But for the people of Agra, the proposal is not welcome, said media reports.

Another BJP lawmaker, Sangeet Som, an accused in Muzaffarnagar riots, said, “There will be changes (in the name of) of many other cities in the state,” he said while adding that Muzaffarnagar, which was named after Nawab Muzaffar Ali, will be changed to Laxminagar soon. “We are only trying to restore the lost culture,” he said. He said the government was trying to correct the “distortion done by the Mughal rulers who plundered the country and harmed the Hindus”.

Last year, the Centre approved a proposal to rename the iconic Mughalsarai railway station to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) station after the Jan Sangh leader who was found dead in the railway station in 1968.

Approval was also given to add the word “Maharaj” in Mumbai’s iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. It is now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

The last time the name of a state was changed was in 2011, when Orissa became Odisha. Bombay was changed to Mumbai in 1995, Madras to Chennai in 1996 and Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001.

The central government had approved the renaming of 11 cities in Karnataka, including Bangalore to Bengaluru, in 2014.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

India News

Amit Shah praises Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, says Nation above post

Amit Shah hailed Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation as Union Education Minister, saying BJP places the nation and students above any position while highlighting the government’s commitment to examination reforms.

Published

16 hours ago

on

July 26, 2026

By

Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday praised Dharmendra Pradhan’s decision to step down as Union Education Minister, saying the move reflected the Bharatiya Janata Party’s commitment to placing the nation and students above any political position.

In a post on X, Shah said that for BJP workers, the country, its youth and students are more important than any office. He described Pradhan’s resignation as an example of the party’s guiding principle of prioritising national interest over personal ambition.

Shah highlights government’s focus on exam reforms

Amit Shah said the Narendra Modi-led government respects the sentiments of students and remains committed to strengthening the examination system following concerns over alleged paper leaks.

He said the Centre has introduced strict measures to ensure severe punishment for those involved in examination paper leaks and expressed confidence that these steps would deliver justice to students who cleared the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET).

Praises Pradhan’s work as Education Minister

Recalling Dharmendra Pradhan’s tenure, Shah highlighted several initiatives undertaken during his time in the Education Ministry. He credited Pradhan with helping implement the National Education Policy (NEP), expanding PM SHRI schools, promoting digital education, strengthening skill development and improving coordination between industry and academic institutions.

Shah also said Pradhan worked towards making examinations more inclusive and student-centric, adding that his tenure reflected his commitment to the vision of a developed India.

Resignation follows NEET controversy

Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation comes amid nationwide protests over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and growing demands for accountability.

The resignation has triggered political reactions across party lines. While opposition parties have described the development as a result of sustained student protests, BJP leaders have projected it as an example of accountability and commitment to national interest.

Continue Reading

India News

Assam flood death toll rises to 66, over 6.5 lakh people still affected

Assam’s flood situation improved slightly on Saturday, but more than 6.54 lakh people remain affected in six districts. Four fresh deaths have pushed the state’s flood toll to 66.

Published

16 hours ago

on

July 26, 2026

By

Assam floods

The flood situation in Assam showed marginal improvement on Saturday, though the disaster continued to impact more than 6.54 lakh people across six districts. Four more deaths were reported during the day, taking the total number of fatalities in this year’s floods to 66.

According to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), three of the latest deaths were reported from Sivasagar district, while one person lost their life in Charaideo.

The number of affected people declined from over 7.05 lakh across nine districts on Friday to 6,54,800 across six districts on Saturday, indicating a gradual improvement in the overall situation.

Sivasagar remains the worst-hit district

Among the affected districts, Sivasagar continues to be the worst hit, with nearly 2.9 lakh people impacted by the floods. Charaideo follows with around 1.9 lakh affected residents, while more than 1.3 lakh people remain affected in Jorhat.

The other districts still facing flood-related challenges are Dibrugarh, Golaghat and Nagaon.

Relief operations continue across affected areas

The ASDMA said the state administration is operating 274 relief camps and aid distribution centres across the affected districts. Around 18,902 displaced people are currently taking shelter at these facilities.

The latest daily bulletin also stated that floodwaters have inundated 810 villages across the state, while 34,970.8 hectares of agricultural land have suffered damage.

Rivers flowing above danger level

The floods have also damaged embankments, roads, bridges and other public infrastructure in several areas.

Authorities said the Dikhou River in Sivasagar and the Dhansiri River at Numaligarh are flowing above the danger level, and officials continue to closely monitor the situation.

Continue Reading

India News

UP Government forms new SIT led by 3 IPS officers to probe Ayodhya Ram Temple donation theft

The Uttar Pradesh government has formed a new SIT led by three IPS officers to investigate the alleged Ram Temple donation theft case in Ayodhya following Supreme Court directions.

Published

16 hours ago

on

July 26, 2026

By

Ram Mandir

The Uttar Pradesh government has reconstituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by IG Kiran S, with DIG Somen Verma and SSP Dr Gaurav Grover as members, to investigate the alleged theft of donations meant for the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. 

The move comes after directions from the Supreme Court, which sought a reconstituted investigation team to ensure an independent and comprehensive probe into the allegations.

The newly formed SIT is expected to continue the investigation and submit a status report before the Supreme Court on July 27.

Senior IPS officers to lead the probe

According to the state government, the investigation will now be supervised by senior IPS officers.  The revamped SIT has been tasked with examining all aspects of the alleged embezzlement of temple donations and carrying the investigation forward.

The Supreme Court had observed that criminal investigations and technical examination of theft-related cases are more effectively handled by experienced police officers, leading to the reconstitution of the SIT under senior IPS leadership.

Probe to continue under court supervision

The case relates to the alleged embezzlement of offerings (chadhava) donated by devotees at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.

The Supreme Court is monitoring the investigation and will review the SIT’s status report at the next hearing.

Authorities are expected to continue examining evidence collected during the earlier stages of the investigation as the newly constituted SIT proceeds with the case.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com