Raj Bhaban in West Bengal renamed as Lok Bhaban
Kolkata, Nov 29
Raj Bhaban, the Governor's House, in West Bengal will now be known as Lok Bhaban, officials said on Saturday.
The renaming was the brainchild of the present Governor, C.V. Ananda Bose, who wanted the name of the Governor to shed the symbolism of British colonialism.
Thereafter, a proposal was sent from the office of the Governor to the office of the President Droupadi Murmu regarding the name change.
Finally, the formal approval on this count has arrived from the President's Office, according to a notification issued from the Governor's House on Friday afternoon.
Already, the name of the official X account of the Governor's House has been changed to Lok Bhaban.
According to the statement issued from the office of the Governor, on March 27, 2023, President Murmu handed over a symbolic key of the then Raj Bhavan to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on the request of Governor Ananda Bose, heralding a new era of people's Raj Bhaban -- THE JANA RAJ BHABAN.
"In pursuance of the communication from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Union government, with a memo dated November 25, 2025, it is hereby notified that the name of the building of 'Raj Bhaban' in Kolkata, Flagship House and Darjeeling, has hereby been notified and renamed as Lok Bhaban," the notification said.
The office of the Governor had also issued a statement explaining the concept of "Jana Raj Bhaban" first, which finally translated to the renaming of the buildings to Lok Bhaban.
"A key element of the Jana Raj Bhaban initiative was its proactive role in the service of people -- to be with them whenever such a need arose. Across the length and breadth of West Bengal, whenever there was a situation of exigency -- be it violence, natural calamity, or even complaints of atrocities, Jana Raj Bhaban reached out to those in need," the statement said.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I appreciate the sentiment behind removing colonial names, I wonder if this is just symbolic politics. Will this actually improve governance and public service? 🤔 The real test is whether common people will truly feel more connected to Lok Bhaban.
Excellent move! This is part of our decolonization process. More such colonial-era names should be changed across India. Bharat is reclaiming its identity step by step 🇮🇳
As a Bengali, I feel proud that our state is taking such progressive steps. The symbolic key handover from President Murmu to CM Mamata Banerjee was a beautiful gesture. Hope Lok Bhaban lives up to its name and serves the people better.
Interesting development! It's good to see institutions becoming more people-oriented. The concept of "Jana Raj Bhaban" reaching out during emergencies shows practical application beyond just name change.
The name change is fine, but I hope this doesn't become another political tug-of-war between state and center. Let's focus on how this benefits West Bengal's development rather than political point-scoring.
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