In Rajasthan, the name of a village called ‘Miyon ka Bara’ was officially changed to ‘Mahesh Nagar’ after residents complained that they were not getting matrimonial matches as the name gave an impression that the village was inhabited by Muslims.
The Union Home Ministry recently approved the change of name and conveyed the decision to the Rajasthan government.
The village in Barmer district has a population of around 1,400. Tahir Samma, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Siwana tehsil, said before Independence the name of the village was 'Mahesh Ro Bado' which changed to 'Miyon ka Bara' over the course of time.
“The residents were facing difficulty in finding marriage proposals for their children because of the village's name. They approached the government authorities with the request to change the name,” Mr. Samma said.
The Home Ministry examines the proposal for changing the names of villages, cities and railway stations once the proposal is received from the State government. “After consulting other agencies, if found appropriate, the Ministry conveys its no objection to the State and the gazette notification is issued,” an official said.
In March, the Home Ministry had informed Parliament that between January 2017 and February 2018, it received 27 proposals from States requesting a change of names of villages, towns and railway stations. Rajasthan submitted eight proposals, including Miyon Ka Bara.
