Bihar govt renames Gaya town as Gaya Ji

Gaya town, one of the most famous religiously significant and touristically famous cities of Bihar, will now be officially known as Gaya Ji. The state cabinet, headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar, on Friday approved the general administrative department’s (GAD) proposal to rename Gaya as Gaya Ji.

Lakhs of tourists from across the globe visit Gaya every year during Pitrapaksh (usually in September) to offer prayers (pind daan) to the souls of departed ancestors since time immemorial. Legends have it that the town was named after a demon called Gayasur lived in the region in Treta Yuga. According to Vayu Purana, the demon performed strict penance and got blessed by Lord Vishu and thus became a pious soul.

Additional chief secretary (cabinet) S. Siddharth said that renaming of Gaya town is among 69 proposals that were discussed and approved by the cabinet.

Cooperative department minister and Gaya MLA Prem Kumar thanked the chief minister for allowing the proposal for officially remaining the town, saying that he had been trying for it for the past one decade in pursuance of the local sentiments. In 2022, the Gaya municipal corporation had also passed a resolution to name Gaya as Gaya Ji.

In another important decision, the cabinet gave its nod for hike in dearness allowances (DA) to its staff and pensioners in accordance with the Central government’s decision. DA of all staff and pensioners, getting salary and pension in accordance with the provisions of fifth to seventh pay commission has been raised with effect from January 1,2025. “DA of those getting salary and pension as per the seventh pay commission has been raised to 55% from the existing 53%. The state government will have to bear additional annual expenditure of more than ₹1,000 crore. DA of sixth and fifth pay commission has been increased to 252% from 246% and to 466% from 455% respectively.

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