Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has made a new name plate installed outside his office chamber at the state secretariat in south Mumbai. The updated nameplate now lists his mother’s name before that of his father, reading as ‘Eknath Gangubai Sambhaji Shinde’.
This alteration was made in compliance with a recent decision by the state cabinet, which mandates that all children born on or after May 1, 2024, must include their mother’s name in all government documents, including Aadhaar and PAN cards.
A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) explained, “The state cabinet has resolved to enact the groundbreaking proposal put forth by Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare to incorporate the mother’s name in official documents, and the chief minister has chosen to lead by example.”
Just as a father’s name holds significance, a mother plays an equally pivotal role in a child’s upbringing, and the government believes it is essential to accord her due recognition, the statement emphasized. In a symbolic gesture, Deputy Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar also updated their office name plates to include their mothers’ names.
Fadnavis’ name plate now reads, ‘Devendra Sarita Gangadharrao Fadnavis’, while Pawar’s reads, ‘Ajit Ashatai Anantrao Pawar’.
