Pondicherry to be named Puducherry

The Union Territory of Pondicherry will henceforth will be known as Puducherry as it was known in ancient times.

A decision to this effect was taken by the Union Cabinet which approved a proposal to introduce a Bill in Parliament to rename the union territory.

The people of Pondicherry have been demanding renaming of the union territory as Puducherry, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Pondicherry Legislative Assembly has already passed a resolution to this effect, he said.

The union territory came to be pronounced as Pondicherry by foreign rulers, he added.

The Cabinet also decided to the Scheduled Caste Orders (Amendment) Bill, 2006, in Parliament to approve a proposal of the Kerala Government to modify the existing entry 'Thandan' in the state Scheduled Caste list.