Rajasthan govt withdraws Sarthak Naam Abhiyan following controversy

Jaipur: The Rajasthan govt has withdrawn its Sarthak Naam Abhiyan, a campaign aimed at helping students choose meaningful names, one week after its launch.A senior official from the education department said, “A draft list of names was shared widely on social media, which did not get a positive response. The final list of names was to be prepared and released by the department from the names compiled as part of the draft, but based on the feedback, the govt has decided to withdraw the campaign. The decision for naming children will be left for parents and guardians completely.”Education minister Madan Dilawar’s office also confirmed the cancellation Monday. “The campaign has been cancelled for now. It cannot be said at present if it will be started again,” said a source from the minister’s office. On April 14, the minister’s office released a list of 2950 names suggested for boys and girls, along with their meanings, which was the draft list.The list sparked controversy for including inappropriate and embarrassing names, in stark contrast to the campaign’s aim of ridding students of such names. For girls, the list included Bhiksha (alms), Bhayankar (terrifying), Kalyugi (Age of darkness or vice) and Kaikeyi (associated with Lord Ram’s exile). For boys, it included Ugra Singh (violent person), Thana Singh (police station), and Becharadas (helpless fellow). The list also included prominent surnames such as Chaturvedi, Yadav and Rawat, and place names like Bikaner, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Badrinath, which could cause embarrassment rather than prevent it, undermining the campaign’s objective. An order issued April 13 by the elementary education department said the campaign would be “completely voluntary and sensitive” and that there would be no compulsion for name correction.Despite the order, the controversy grew over the suggested names, drawing criticism from opposition parties and parents’ associations, who called for focus on issues such as repair and maintenance of govt school infrastructure in the state.