A day after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma first announced the cabinet's decision to rename Karimganj district in the state to Sribhumi, the Assam government on Thursday (November 21) issued a notification giving official approval to the move.
In an official notification, the government announced the decision to rename Karimganj district and Karimganj Town as Sribhumi and Sribhumi Town, which will be implemented with immediate effect.
"As per the decision of the Assam Cabinet, chaired by CM Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, an official notification has been issued renaming Karimganj district and Karimganj Town as Sribhumi and Sribhumi Town, respectively," the notification reads.
‘Sribhumi’ means the land of Maa Lakshmi
Earlier, elaborating on the cabinet's decision to rename Karimganj district, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the name change reflects the wishes of the community and is part of a broader effort to replace names lacking historical or linguistic significance.
"Over 100 years ago, Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore described the modern-day Karimganj district as Sribhumi—the land of Maa Lakshmi. Today, the Assam Cabinet has fulfilled this long-standing demand of our people," he said.
"We will continue to change names that do not have any dictionary reference or historical evidence. We have been doing this for a long time, and it is a continuous process," the CM added.
Further, Assam Minister Ashok Singhal also expressed happiness over the move. He said, "History’s wrongs corrected—the land of Maa Lakshmi reclaimed! Once named after Karim Chowdhury, Karimganj has now been freed of imposition and renamed to Sribhumi."
"One more step towards removing the invader's legacy and reclaiming Assam’s Sanatan Sanskriti," he added.
People celebrate historic decision
Meanwhile, amid BJP leaders hailing the decision to rename Karimganj district to Sribhumi, the general public also celebrated the historic move.
According to videos circulated on social media, a grand display of fireworks was witnessed across the state, with people expressing their happiness over the decision.
