Women are free to retain their maiden names on passport, says Modi
Posted on: 14/Apr/2017 12:06:50 PM
According to Narendra Modi’s announcement made yesterday, married women need not change their names in passport after marriage, and can continue with their maiden names. From now, there will be no need for women to change names in passport post marriage, Modi announced while addressing a gathering of the Indian Merchants Chambers’ ladies wing through video conferencing.
As per passport website source, women had no other choice than to re-apply for passport for change in name after marriage. I want women to be placed at the centre of any developmental schemes, he added. His government strives to empower women by various means such as Mudra and Ujjwala. In all the developmental schemes announced by my government, I want women to be of utmost priority, he added.
He cited a number of schemes that are women-centric. Maternity leave given for women is extended from 12 weeks to 26 weeks, and there is one other scheme women get Rs 6000 funds transfer when they prefer delivering baby in hospitals.
Over 5 crore people from BPL families are selected for free cooking gas distribution project under Ujjwala scheme. Within just one year of launch, over 2 crore women are benefited by the scheme, he pointed.
