9 hours ago
From ‘Khuni' to ‘Devi', this village in Pithoragarh to renamed
Pithoragarh: People of Khuni (meaning murderer) village in Uttarakhand's Pithoragarh district have a reason to cheer, as the state govt has recently issued a notification to change the name to Devi (meaning goddess) Gram after a nod from the centre.
Villagers are more than happy as their efforts of over five decades have finally materialised. Now, they will not have to identify themselves with the name 'Khuni'.
The name-change campaign was initiated in 1970 by a local, late Kedar Datt Joshi, who worked at Pithoragarh tehsil, said gram pradhan Indra Joshi. However, the matter did not move beyond the district level. The process was again taken up by a teacher, Girish Chandra Joshi, in the 90s, but in vain, Joshi added.
"Village seniors told us the original name was 'Kholi', but the Britishers changed it to 'Khuni'. They also mentioned the same in the revenue documents," said Mohit Joshi, a local social worker.
The procedure to change the name of a village is complex, involving the Centre and state govt. In 2022, the campaign was taken up again and a memorandum was submitted to chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who then moved it to the revenue secretary. The district magistrate was asked to send a proposal on the matter that included full details of the village, including its map and population, said Lalit Mohan Joshi, another local.
In 2024, the state govt sent this proposal to the Centre, following which the home ministry and science and technology ministry gave their approval.
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