Bhubaneswar: December 2:
The names of the Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneswar and Puri have been officially changed to ‘Lok Bhavan’, effective December 1. This change applies immediately to all government functions from that date.
The Governor’s Secretariat issued a formal notification regarding the name change. In 2019, the state secretariat was renamed ‘Lok Seva Bhavan’. The government has stated that these changes are intended to emphasise people-oriented governance.
The notification from the Governor’s Secretariat states that the names of the Raj Bhavans in Bhubaneswar and Puri have been changed following a letter dated November 25 from the Union Home Ministry. The Governor of Odisha, Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati, approved the renaming in accordance with the Ministry’s instructions.
The name change applies to all government functions beginning December 1. This decision follows a recommendation from the 2024 Governors’ Conference, which proposed renaming Raj Bhavans across India as ‘Lok Bhavan’ to move away from colonial-era terminology and reinforce democratic values.
Previously, the state’s highest administrative office, the ‘Secretariat’, was renamed ‘Lok Seva Bhavan’ on July 29, 2019, by then Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. This announcement was made during the budget debate of the Home and Public Administration Department in the Assembly. The Chief Minister stated that, in a democracy, the people are paramount, and this measure was intended to fulfil the hopes and aspirations of the state’s citizens.
