UP's Bhadohi District Renamed as Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi, Yogi Adityanath Announces
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced that Bhadohi district would now be known as Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi, restoring a name with deep political and cultural resonance in the state's eastern belt.
"Now Bhadohi district will be called Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi," Adityanath said while addressing a programme in the district, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 112 development projects worth over Rs 1,340 crore.
The chief minister said the renaming honours Satguru Ravidas Maharaj, the medieval saint known for his spiritual teachings and message of social unity. He recalled that on Guru Purnima, the government had said Bhadohi — renowned for its carpet industry — would be named after the saint who united society through his spiritual devotion.
A district with a long history of name changes
Bhadohi was carved out of Varanasi district on June 30, 1994, becoming the 65th district of Uttar Pradesh. Its name has been a political football ever since. In 1997, then chief minister Mayawati renamed it Sant Ravidas Nagar. The BJP's Ram Prakash Gupta later modified it to Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi in 1999 after carpet industrialists and exporters raised concerns about the identity of the famed "Bhadohi carpet" brand. In December 2014, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government changed the name back to Bhadohi.
Adityanath had first announced on July 29 this year that the district would once again be renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar, launching what was described as a Dalit outreach initiative from Varanasi, the prime minister's parliamentary constituency.
Carpet industry and an attack on past governments
The chief minister said the district's famed carpet industry now has access to technology, design and markets along with better connectivity and security, and that Bhadohi carpets are establishing their identity in the global market. The government has included Bhadohi carpets under the One District-One Product scheme and connected artisans to critical resources, he said.
Attacking the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath alleged that funds now being spent on developing pilgrimage sites and preserving heritage landmarks were earlier used to encroach upon land in the name of building boundary walls for graveyards, and claimed the "double-engine" government had transformed a state once plagued by mafia and unrest.
Sources: The Hindu · NDTV · The Tribune
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday announced that Bhadohi district would now be known as Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi, restoring a name with deep political and cultural resonance in the state's eastern belt.
"Now Bhadohi district will be called Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi," Adityanath said while addressing a programme in the district, where he inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 112 development projects worth over Rs 1,340 crore.
The chief minister said the renaming honours Satguru Ravidas Maharaj, the medieval saint known for his spiritual teachings and message of social unity. He recalled that on Guru Purnima, the government had said Bhadohi — renowned for its carpet industry — would be named after the saint who united society through his spiritual devotion.
A district with a long history of name changes
Bhadohi was carved out of Varanasi district on June 30, 1994, becoming the 65th district of Uttar Pradesh. Its name has been a political football ever since. In 1997, then chief minister Mayawati renamed it Sant Ravidas Nagar. The BJP's Ram Prakash Gupta later modified it to Sant Ravidas Nagar Bhadohi in 1999 after carpet industrialists and exporters raised concerns about the identity of the famed "Bhadohi carpet" brand. In December 2014, the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government changed the name back to Bhadohi.
Adityanath had first announced on July 29 this year that the district would once again be renamed Sant Ravidas Nagar, launching what was described as a Dalit outreach initiative from Varanasi, the prime minister's parliamentary constituency.
Carpet industry and an attack on past governments
The chief minister said the district's famed carpet industry now has access to technology, design and markets along with better connectivity and security, and that Bhadohi carpets are establishing their identity in the global market. The government has included Bhadohi carpets under the One District-One Product scheme and connected artisans to critical resources, he said.
Attacking the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath alleged that funds now being spent on developing pilgrimage sites and preserving heritage landmarks were earlier used to encroach upon land in the name of building boundary walls for graveyards, and claimed the "double-engine" government had transformed a state once plagued by mafia and unrest.
Sources: The Hindu · NDTV · The Tribune
