INDIA will now be ‘Bharat’ in government documents, name will be visible in schemes also – there will be no changes from the previous date
सरकारी दस्तावेजों में अब INDIA होगा ‘भारत’!, स्कीमों में भी छाएगा नाम – पिछली तारीख से नहीं होंगे बदलाव
The name ‘India’ may now start appearing in official documents related to government events, national and international invitations and related documents. However, this name will not apply retrospectively, a senior government official said.
The name ‘Bharat’ is already in use in official documents under schemes and programmes, such as ‘Karmayogi Bharat’.
“However, the matter became more important when Home Minister Amit Shah proposed this name in our panel code,” the official said. The Indian Penal Code became the Indian Judicial Code, while the Code of Criminal Procedure became the Indian Civil Defense Code. Moreover, the Indian Evidence Act has become the Indian Evidence Bill.
The use of the word ‘Bharat’ will now feature prominently in central government programmes, such as ‘Bharat Drone Shakti’. The official also said that there is no legal confusion in using ‘India’ in the official document, as both ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ are constitutionally and legally valid. The passport has both ‘Republic of India’ and ‘Government of India’ written on it. “There is no question of any legal or constitutional violation in this. Also, there is no intention to make any changes retrospectively.
The mention of ‘India’ in the invitation letters by the President and the Prime Minister’s Office has triggered a controversy. The opposition has accused the Modi government of trying to ‘change’ the country’s name for political gains, as the opposition alliance added the word ‘India’ to its name. However, senior officials of the government say that the matter has nothing to do with the name of the opposition alliance. Officials said that there was a long-standing discussion on changing ‘India’ to ‘Bharat’, as the government considers this name more Indian.
Member of Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council and historian Sanjeev Sanyal says that both the names (Bharat and India) are valid and no one should doubt about it. According to him, however, ‘Bharat’ originated in this country and is more indigenous. He said, ‘Bharat is a local name, while India is the result of wrong pronunciation by foreigners in ancient times.’
Trying to eliminate foreign influence?
Sanyal also explained the use of ‘India’ from a historical perspective. He said, ‘Bharat is an ancient name, which is taken from Rig Veda. There is another tradition of Purana and Jainism, according to which Bharat was a king. Both traditions are thousands of years old. According to the old Vedic tradition, a community called Bharat established the first empire in this country. Jain and Puranic tradition mentions King Bharata, who was the grandson of King Rishabha. The Vedic tradition is approximately 5,000 years old, while the tradition of the Puranas is 2,500 years old.