Jaipur, Apr 30 (IANS): The Mian Ka Bada railway station in Rajasthan's Barmer district near the Pakistan border will now be known as Mahesh Nagar railway station after a grand name change ceremony was organised on Saturday in the presence of Union ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Kailash Choudhary.

Speaking on the occasion, Jodhpur MP Shekhawat said, "There was a demand to change the name of the village for a long time. Although the name of the village was changed earlier, the complete process of changing the name of a railway station took a long time. The name could be changed only after getting an NOC from the state and central ministries. As per the sentiment of the villagers, now the name of the railway station has been changed, so we have also come to share the happiness of the villagers."

In 2018, the names of three villages were changed before the elections in Rajasthan. Accordingly, the name of the Mian Ka Bada village was changed to Mahesh Nagar. Apart from this, the names of the two other villages -- Ismail Khurd and Narpada -- were changed to Pichnawa Khurd and Narpura, respectively.

Chaudhary said, "Naming Mian Ka Bada railway station as Mahesh Nagar is a necessary step to preserve local cultural identity."

"It is a historic day for the local people. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government is determined to bring about such cultural changes along with development and progress," he added.