Punjab Raj Bhavan renamed Lok Bhavan

Punjab Raj Bhavan will now be known as Lok Bhavan, Punjab, with the Governor’s Secretariat in Chandigarh on Thursday issuing the formal notification to enforce the change with immediate effect.

The order follows a communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs dated November 25, directing all states and Union Territories to rename Raj Bhavans and Raj Niwases as Lok Bhavan/ Lok Niwas.

The notification, signed by Principal Secretary to the Governor Vivek Pratap Singh, states that the Governor of Punjab has approved the renaming in line with the Centre’s decision to replace colonial-era institutional titles with terms reflecting democratic ownership and public-centric governance.

Copies of the order have been circulated to the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister’s Office, Union Home Minister, Punjab Chief Minister and top administrative and police officials.

The directive is part of a wider national rebranding exercise under which the Prime Minister’s Office complex has been renamed ‘Seva Teerth’, reinforcing the government’s messaging that institutions of power must symbolise duty, service and accessibility rather than colonial grandeur. The move comes on the heels of earlier changes such as Rajpath becoming Kartavya Path and the PM’s residence address being rechristened Lok Kalyan Marg.

With today’s order, all official correspondence, signage and records will now reflect the new name Lok Bhavan, marking a symbolic but significant shift in the administrative identity of the Governor’s establishment in Punjab.