Yogi govt may soon rename Allahabad as Prayagraj

News Network

September 12, 2017

Lucknow, Sept 12: After renaming 'Mughalsarai' railway station as 'Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar', chief minister Yogi Adityanath led-Uttar Pradesh government may soon rechristen Allahabad as 'Prayagraj'.

An indication to this effect was given by the office bearers of All India Akhara Parishad (AIAP), an apex body of Hindu seers and saints after their meeting with CM Yogi on Tuesday.

The AIAP president Mahant Narendra Giri said that the saints had proposed to the chief minister to rechristen Allahabad as 'Prayagraj'. ''A formal announcement in this regard will be made shortly,'' the Mahant said.

He said that the chief minister had assured the saints that the government would consider their demand. The saints said that renaming of Allahabad was essential to reflect the cultural heritage and religious importance of the place.

The AIAP also handed over the list of 14 ''fake'' babas to Adityanath and asked him to take action against those, who had made UP their home. ''He (Adityanath has assured action against fake babas,'' Narendra Giri said.

The AIAP also urged the chief minister not to allow such 'fake' babas to take part in the 'Ardhakumbha' (a religious congregation on the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers) scheduled to be held in Allahabad in 2019. A full fledged 'Kumbha' is held after every 12 years while an 'Ardhakumbha' is held after every six years.

Allahabad was known as 'Prayag' in the olden times. The word 'Prayag' means 'place of offerings' and it was given the name owing to the confluence of the three holy rivers there.

According to the historians, Mughal emperor Akbar had in 1575 given the town the name 'Illahabad', which in Persian meant 'place of god'. It later became Allahabad.

The centre had recently rechristened 'Mughalsarai', an important railway junction in UP's Chandauli district, after BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

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RuTAGe smart village centres in DK, Udupi to being technology closer to rural communities

News Network

January 20,2026

Mangaluru: In a major step towards strengthening rural innovation, the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India is supporting the establishment of RuTAGe Smart Village Centres (RSVCs) across the country through collaborations with academic institutions, civil society organisations and philanthropic partners.

As part of this national initiative, Nitte (Deemed to be University) will set up the first RSVCs in the region at Nitte GP in Udupi district and at the Nitte Health Centre, Sevanjali Trust, Farangipete, in Dakshina Kannada district. The centres will be inaugurated on January 21. In South India, the programme is being implemented by the Section Infin-8 Foundation (SI-8).

Speaking to reporters on Monday, SI-8 founder-director Vishwas US said experts from Nitte University and SI-8 would work closely with farmers, students, youth and local entrepreneurs to adapt and deploy technologies tailored to local needs.

Project head Prof Iddya Karunasagar, representing Nitte DU, said the RSVCs at Nitte and Farangipete would serve as demonstration hubs for a wide range of agriculture, energy, skill-development and assistive technologies. These include solar dryers for fruits, vegetables and crops; soil-testing solutions; power weeders and women-friendly farm tools; wind-powered devices for rural artisans; grain storage systems; grass-cutting and tree-climbing equipment; and liquid fertiliser production using cowshed waste.

SI-8 CEO Aravind C Kumar said the centres would also provide access to digital and knowledge-based platforms such as ISRO applications, government scheme portals, market linkage tools and gamified learning resources, along with assistive technologies for persons with visual impairments.

Highlighting the broader impact of the initiative, Principal Scientific Adviser Prof Ajay Kumar Sood said it demonstrated how applied research could bridge the rural–urban divide and help create self-reliant, technology-enabled villages.

The initiative has been made possible through philanthropic support from Dr NC Murthy of ACM Business Solutions, LLC, USA. Dr Sapna Poti, Director (Strategic Alliances) at the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, said the long-term objective is to build self-sufficient, technology-driven communities capable of generating sustainable livelihoods on their own.

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