MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Monday made a historic and progressive decision by mandating the inclusion of mothers’ names before their children’s names in government documents. This decision was passed by the Maharashtra cabinet on Monday and will be implemented in revenue and education documents starting May 1, 2024, across the state.
Under the leadership of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the cabinet has approved the mandatory recording of mothers’ names along with children born on or after May 1, 2024.
This requirement entails listing the child’s name, followed by the mother’s name, and then the father’s name and surname in all educational documents, revenue papers, salary slips, service books, and application forms for various examinations. Notably, the mother’s name will no longer be mentioned separately.
Aditi Tatkare, the Minister for Women and Child Welfare and Development and NCP (Ajit Pawar) MLA, who proposed this historic initiative, expressed her satisfaction with the decision. She credited Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers
Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar for their wholehearted support in the cabinet. “Maharashtra will lead the nation in implementing such groundbreaking and progressive measures,” Tatkare remarked, emphasizing that the new policy will take effect from May 1, 2024.
The cabinet instructed the Public Health Department to collaborate with the Central Government to make necessary amendments to birth and death registers. Once the directive from the central government is received, births and deaths will be registered with the mother’s name preceding the father’s name and surname.
It also decided that for married women, the registration process will continue with their maiden name followed by their husband’s name and surname. Women will also have the option to include their maiden name in property documents. Exceptions will be made for orphans and similar exceptional cases regarding the recording of birth and death certificates for children.