Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday got a new name plate installed outside his office chamber at the state secretariat in south Mumbai, which now mentions his mother's name before that of his father.
His new name plate now reads 'Eknath Gangubai Sambhaji Shinde'.
The change in the name plate was done in accordance with the state cabinet's recent decision, making it mandatory for all children born on or after May 1, 2024 to include the name of their mother in all government documents, such as Aadhaar and PAN cards.
A statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said, "The state cabinet decided to implement the historic proposal of Women and Child Development Minister Aditi Tatkare to include mother's name in the official documents and the chief minister decided to start it by implementing it himself."
Just like one's father, his or her mother plays an important role in upbringing the child and the government feels that she should be given her due recognition, it said.
Deputy Chief Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar also got their office name plates changed as a symbolic gesture, mentioning their mothers' names.
Fadnavis' name plate now reads, 'Devendra Sarita Gangadharrao Fadnavis', while Pawar's reads 'Ajit Ashatai Anantrao Pawar'.
