Guwahati: The BJP-led Assam government renamed the district of Karimganj as Sribhumi. The Himanta Biswa Sarma government announced the renaming of the district, located in the Barak Valley, on Thursday, PTI reported.
The district headquarters, Karimganj town, has also been renamed Sribhumi town.
"The Governor of Assam is pleased to rename the Karimganj district as Sribhumi district and Karimganj town as Sribhumi town," General Administration Department Principal Secretary Mukesh Chandra Sahu said in the notification.
It said the changes will be applicable and with immediate effect.
The Assam cabinet decided on Tuesday to rename the Karimganj district Sribhumi.
"Over 100 years ago, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore had described modern-day Karimganj district in Assam as Sribhumi - the land of Maa Lakshmi. Today, the Assam cabinet has fulfilled this long-standing demand of our people," Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said after the cabinet meeting.
He said that the decision to rename the district would reflect the expectations and aspirations of the people of the district.
"We will continue to change the names that do not have any dictionary reference or any other historical evidence. We have been doing this for a long time, and it is a continuous process," Sarma said.
Renaming the district will give it a distinct identity, justifying its rich cultural heritage, the CM had added.
Two months back, the Union government had renamed the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Port Blair, to 'Shri Vijaya Puram'. The move was attributed to an intent to erase colonial influences from India's landmarks. The city, previously named after Captain Archibald Blair, a British naval officer of the East India Company, serves as the main entry point to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.