CHENNAI: Raj Bhavan has officially turned Lok Bhavan. In a sweeping move to shed colonial-era terminology, the Union Home Ministry has directed all States and Union Territories to rename the official residences of Governors as “Lok Bhavan” and those of Lieutenant Governors as “Lok Niwas”.

The directive, communicated to all Principal Secretaries, follows a key recommendation made at the Conference of Governors held on August 2, 2024, at Rashtrapati Bhavan. The proposal was examined and finalised by a committee chaired by Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, who argued that the term “Raj Bhavan” carries a distinct colonial imprint and must be replaced with a more democratic, people-centric label.

In its statement, Lok Bhavan, Tamil Nadu, noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs has accepted the recommendation in full. “Based on the recommendation of Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi, who headed the renaming committee, the Union Home Ministry has conveyed that all offices of Governors will henceforth be called Lok Bhavans, while the offices and Raj Niwas of Lieutenant Governors will be designated Lok Niwas,” the communication said.

The advisory instructs all States and Union Territories to adopt the new nomenclature for every official purpose with immediate effect.