Jharkhand minister proposes renaming J'khand Raj Bhavan as Birsa Bhawan

Ranchi, Dec 10 (PTI) Jharkhand Parliamentary Affairs Minister Radhakrishna Kishore on Wednesday proposed in the state Assembly to rename the Raj Bhavan as Birsa Bhavan.
    He said the Raj Bhavan is a state government's property, and the power to rename it lies with the state government.
    The Raj Bhavan in Jharkhand was officially renamed Lok Bhavan on December 3, as part of a nationwide initiative to shed colonial-era titles.
    The change came in the wake of instructions from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on renaming Raj Bhavans across the country as Lok Bhavan and Raj Niwas as Lok Niwas.
    As the assembly resumed for the day's business around 11 am on Wednesday, Kishore moved his proposal in the House.
    He said, "We all know that the governor is appointed by the President. However, under Article 154 of the Constitution, the executive power of the state is vested in the governor, and thus the office of the governor is a state office. The legislative functions of the state are carried out from the governor's office," he said.
    He said the Raj Bhavan is the property of the state government.
    "And, only the state government has the authority to rename the movable and immovable properties of the government that are established in the state. In this light, I propose that the Raj Bhavan in Ranchi be renamed Birsa Bhawan after Birsa Munda, and the Raj Bhavan in Dumka be renamed Sido-Kanhu Bhawan after Sido and Kanhu Murmu," Kishore said in the House.
    Situated in the heart of Ranchi, the main Raj Bhavan complex spans across 52 acres, and the Audrey House occupies 10 acres.
    Construction of the Raj Bhavan began in 1930 and was completed in March 1931 at an estimated cost of Rs 7 lakh.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)