The Centre has approved the Uttar Pradesh government’s proposal to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj, PTI reported on Tuesday. The state government led by Chief Minister Adityanath had in October given its assent to the proposal to rename the historic city.
The approval came days before the Kumbh Mela starts in the city on January 15. The mass pilgrim event will conclude on March 4.
The Home Ministry will provide a No Objection Certificate to allow the state government to rename entities such as the railway station, high court, university and other organisations named after Allahabad, The Indian Express reported.
“Letters have been sent to other central ministries informing that the Home Ministry has approved the proposal of the Uttar Pradesh government,” said an unidentified ministry official. “The state government will now get approval from other central ministries and change the names accordingly.”
Another ministry official said that the government agreed to issue the No Objection Certificate after no agency, including Intelligence Bureau, Geographical Survey of India, Department of Post, and Ministry of Earth Sciences, gave an adverse report.
The Centre is yet to receive the state government’s proposal to rename Faizabad district as Ayodhya, which Adityanath had announced during his Diwali speech on November 6. Opposition parties, including the Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party, have criticised the government’s move to rename the cities.
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