Name Change in Garhwa
Garhwa sits in the far north west corner of Jharkhand, with the Sone river on one side, Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh on another and Surguja in Chhattisgarh on a third. The district was created on 1 April 1991 out of Palamu, by separating the old Garhwa subdivision and its eight blocks, and it has since grown to twenty blocks across three subdivisions. Two facts decide most name cases here. The district records only one municipal town, Garhwa itself, so nearly every birth entry is a block record; and anything written before April 1991 sits in a Palamu register at Medininagar. Names here are Bhojpuri and Nagpuri in speech and Hindi on paper, which is why Kumar and Kumaar, Prasad and Prashad turn up on two certificates for one person. This page is the local map.
For a name change in Garhwa, the affidavit is sworn before a notary at the district court, the two newspaper notices go into the Garhwa editions of a Hindi and an English daily, Aadhaar is updated at a Seva Kendra, and the Gazette of India file is posted from any local post office to the Department of Publication at Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. There is no gazette counter in Garhwa, in Ranchi or anywhere in Jharkhand, and the e-Gazette portal is for reading a published notice, not for filing an application. For a birth record the district's own pages settle it: there is only one municipal town, at the district headquarters, so unless the birth was registered inside those limits it is a block or panchayat record. The district has three subdivisions, Garhwa, Ranka and Nagar Untari, now also written Shree Banshidhar Nagar, and twenty blocks, grown from the original eight of 1991, covering 916 inhabited villages and 62 uninhabited ones. Anything written before 1 April 1991, when the Garhwa subdivision was separated from Palamu, sits in a Palamu register at Medininagar, and school certificates from before 2000 belong to the Bihar School Examination Board. Bhojpuri is recorded as an official language alongside Hindi in blocks such as Bhawanathpur and Ranka, and Nagpuri in the Banshidhar Nagar area, so most name differences here are Hindi spelling corrections rather than changes of name. Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are both on the border, and certificates issued there are corrected only in those states.
Search for name change in Garhwa and nothing local comes back. The state pages that fill the SERP promise a Jharkhand gazette office with a helpline, tell you to apply through the e-Gazette portal, quote publication in ten to fifteen days, invent an eligibility rule about pending court cases, and describe a demand draft to a Controller of Publications in Jharkhand. None of it is real, and none of it mentions that half the district's older papers are Palamu papers.
The process itself is the same across the state and sits on the name change process page; the bill is on the cost page. This page stays local.
At a glance
- District
- Garhwa, in Palamu division, created 1 April 1991 out of Palamu; district site garhwa.nic.in
- Before that
- The Garhwa subdivision of Palamu, with eight blocks at the time of separation
- Subdivisions
- Garhwa, Ranka and Nagar Untari, the last now also written Shree Banshidhar Nagar
- Blocks
- Twenty, grown from the original eight by reorganising them
- Towns
- Only one municipal town, at the district headquarters
- Villages
- 916 inhabited and 62 uninhabited, the uninhabited ones called bechiragi
- Borders
- The Sone river to the north, Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh to the west, Surguja in Chhattisgarh to the south
- Languages
- Hindi, with Bhojpuri recorded as official in blocks such as Bhawanathpur and Ranka, and Nagpuri around Banshidhar Nagar
- Work
- Farming, limestone and dolomite mining at Bhawanathpur, and a great deal of work outside the state
- Gazette
- No counter here; Speed Post to Civil Lines, Delhi 110054, two to four working days
Key takeaways
- Anything written before 1 April 1991 belongs to Palamu at Medininagar.
- One municipal town, so almost every birth entry here is a block record.
- Nagar Untari and Shree Banshidhar Nagar are the same place; that needs nothing done.
- Bhojpuri and Nagpuri pronunciations written into Hindi are corrections, not changes of name.
- Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh certificates are corrected only in those states.
- For work outside the state, fix the school certificate and Aadhaar before the labour and bank records.
Which Office Holds Your Birth and Certificate Records in Garhwa
| Where the record was made | Who holds it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Garhwa town, inside the municipal limits | The town body, the district's only municipal town | Apply for a Section 15 correction at its birth and death section |
| Ranka, Bhawanathpur, Meral, Majhiaon, Bhandaria, Dhurki | Their own block registrars, among the original eight blocks | Apply at the block office that registered the birth |
| Nagar Untari, also written Shree Banshidhar Nagar | Its own block registrar and subdivision office | The same; the two names are one place |
| Chiniya, Kandi, Kharaundhi, Ramkanda, Ramna, Dandai and the other newer blocks | Their own block registrars, created by reorganising the original eight | An entry may name the older block instead; read the certificate |
| Any of the district's 916 inhabited villages | The panchayat and block that covers it | Ask at the panchayat first; it will name the block office holding the register |
| Anything written before 1 April 1991 | Palamu district, at Medininagar | Read the issuing office on the certificate and apply there |
| A certificate issued in Uttar Pradesh or Chhattisgarh | That state's office or board | Only that state can correct it; Jharkhand offices cannot |
| Land and revenue papers | The circle office, against the khatiyan | Align other documents to the khatiyan spelling, not the other way round |
Why an Older Garhwa Record Sits With Palamu at Medininagar
Garhwa was a subdivision of Palamu district until 1 April 1991, when it was separated as an independent district with its eight blocks. That is recent enough that a large share of adults here, and nearly every parent and grandparent, hold papers written under Palamu.
Birth entries before April 1991
Corrected at the office in Palamu that made the entry, reached through Medininagar. The Medininagar page covers that side, including the Daltonganj and Medininagar name question.
School certificates
The board corrects against the school's admission register, and the school never moved. Anyone schooled before 2000 holds a Bihar School Examination Board certificate, corrected by that board.
Latehar is a cousin, not a parent
Latehar came out of the same Palamu district in 2001, so a Latehar record was never a Garhwa record. The Latehar page covers it.
Bhojpuri Spellings and the Nagar Untari Name Change in Garhwa Records
This is a Bhojpuri speaking belt with Nagpuri in parts of it, and the district's own block pages record Bhojpuri as an official language alongside Hindi in Bhawanathpur and Ranka. The name problems here look different from the tribal surname cases of south Jharkhand. They come from how a spoken name is written into Hindi at a counter.
| Written as | Also written as | What it means for your file |
|---|---|---|
| Kumar | Kumaar | A long vowel written two ways; a correction, not a new name |
| Prasad | Prashad | The same sound written with an extra letter; very common here |
| Sinha | Singh | Two different surnames in some families and one in others; the Class 10 certificate decides |
| Mahto | Mahato | A vowel dropped or kept; both forms appear across this belt |
| Devi and Kumari | Added, dropped or swapped after marriage | A marriage certificate usually does this work; a gazette is often not needed at all |
Labour Cards, Bank Accounts and Papers That Follow You Out of Garhwa
Garhwa is largely rural and a great many families here have someone working outside the district or the state. The paperwork that comes with that work is typed by people who have never seen your certificates, and a name written by ear at a worksite is how a mismatch starts.
| Situation | Why the name differs | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Labour card and worksite records | Written from whatever paper was produced, often by ear | A notarised one-and-the-same-person affidavit now, the certificate correction in parallel |
| Bank account opened outside the state | Typed from an Aadhaar that already differs from the school certificate | The bank records page sets out the RBI position on old-name documents |
| Provident fund and insurance claims | Copied from the employer record | School certificate first, then employer record, then the fund |
| Ration card and scheme benefits at home | Family members entered at different times in different spellings | Match everyone to their own anchor certificate before the next verification |
| A child's school admission after moving | The new school copies the transfer certificate exactly | Correct the certificate before the admission, not after the next board registration |
The Notary, the Newspapers and the Aadhaar Kendras in Garhwa
The affidavit
Sworn before a notary at the district court in Garhwa; stamp paper and fee commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500 together. A notary is enough for a gazette file. Carry the typed wording and read every spelling back before signing.
The two notices
Booked at the classified desks of the Garhwa editions of a Hindi daily and an English daily circulating in Jharkhand. The wording must be identical in both, and you buy two complete copies of each on the day; a cutting returns the file.
Aadhaar and PAN
Seva Kendras operate in the town and at block headquarters; a name update is Rs 50 to Rs 75 per attempt with two in a lifetime. PAN is corrected online from anywhere, which matters for families working outside the state.
The Gazette Route From Garhwa: The Central Process, Step by Step and Paper by Paper
Everything before this happens in Garhwa; this part does not. There is no gazette counter in Garhwa, in Ranchi or anywhere in Jharkhand, and the e-Gazette portal is where a published notice is read, not where an application is filed. The file is built here and posted to the Department of Publication in Delhi in your own name. Here is the whole process, in the order it happens, with what each paper says.
Route check and wording, day 0
Confirm that you need a gazette at all: a marriage surname, a divorce and a spelling correction do not, and the six UIDAI categories reach Aadhaar without one. In this district the usual case is a Bhojpuri or Nagpuri pronunciation written differently into Hindi records, Kumar and Kumaar, Prasad and Prashad, which is a correction. Then fix the exact wording and confirm it in writing.
Affidavit, day 1 to 2
Sworn on non-judicial stamp paper before a notary at your district court, in the OLD name as on your current Aadhaar: old name, new name, father's or husband's name, address with pin code, reason, verification clause, notary seal and register number. Stamp paper and notary commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500. Format on the affidavit page.
Two newspaper notices, day 3 to 7
One Hindi daily and one English daily in editions that circulate in Jharkhand, identical wording quoting the affidavit number and date. Keep the complete original page of each paper, masthead and date visible, two copies. Rs 800 to Rs 4,000 at actual cost. Detail on the newspaper page.
Proforma, CD and request letter, day 7 to 8
The Department's proforma typed in two copies, headed "No. ADVT IV /", signed in the old name, two witnesses with full addresses and pin codes, two photographs, self-attested IDs of you and both witnesses; a CD with the notice in Word without the witness portion plus a signed certificate that soft and hard copy match; a request letter to the Controller of Publications. Full list on the documents page.
Fee on BharatKosh, day 8
Only on bharatkosh.gov.in, in your own name, selecting the Department of Publication and the Gazette notification purpose: commonly Rs 1,100 for an adult, Rs 1,700 for a minor, revised each financial year, non-refundable. Print the receipt for the file. No demand draft, no cash, no counter anywhere in Jharkhand.
Delivered in Delhi in your name, day 8 to 10
The five papers, affidavit and pages in original, to the Department of Publication, Civil Lines, behind Delhi Vidhan Sabha Metro Station, Delhi 110054, in person or by tracked post in the applicant's name. Our Delhi office delivers Jharkhand files in your name. Nothing is returned, so keep a scanned set.
Published and downloaded, day 40 to 55
Part IV is released weekly; publication commonly takes 30 to 45 days. Search your old or new name on egazette.gov.in, download the free PDF, and note the Gazette number, date and page. No attestation is needed for use in India. A wrong print is corrected by corrigendum within six months.
Then Aadhaar, PAN and every record
Carry the printed Gazette PDF with the affidavit and both newspaper pages to an Aadhaar Seva Kendra in Garhwa first, then PAN, then the school or board, then your labour card, bank and the circle office. The gazette pillar, with the July 2025 story of the Jharkhand Gazette, is the gazette name change page.
The five papers, line by line
| Paper | What it contains, clause by clause | The mistake that returns the file |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Affidavit | Title "Affidavit for change of name". Deponent's old name, son or daughter or wife of, age, address with pin code. Clause 1: that the deponent is a citizen of India and a resident of the address. Clause 2: the old name as on Aadhaar and the documents it appears on. Clause 3: that the deponent has decided to be known as the new name, spelt in full, from the date of the affidavit. Clause 4: the reason, in one line. Clause 5: that the old and new names refer to one and the same person. Verification clause: that the contents are true to the deponent's knowledge, sworn at the place on the date. Deponent's signature in the OLD name; notary's seal, signature, register serial and date. | Signed in the new name; a spelling in clause 3 that differs from the proforma by a letter; a photocopy sent instead of the original. |
| 2. Two newspaper pages | Wording: "I, [old name], son or daughter or wife of [name], resident of [address, pin code], have changed my name to [new name] by affidavit No. [number] dated [date] sworn before [notary, place]. Henceforth I shall be known as [new name]." One Hindi daily and one English daily in editions circulating in Jharkhand, on any date after the affidavit. The complete page of each, masthead and date visible, in original, two copies each. | A cutting instead of the page; a notice dated before the affidavit; the two notices worded differently; the new name spelt differently from the affidavit. |
| 3. Proforma, two copies | Headed "No. ADVT IV /" with the date. Wording for a change of name: "I, [old name], son or daughter or wife of [name], employed as [occupation] at [address] or residing at [address], have changed my name and shall hereafter be known as [new name]. It is certified that I have complied with other legal requirements in this connection." Signature in the OLD name. Two witnesses, each with full name, father's name, full address with pin code and signature. Computer typed, no cutting or overwriting. | Handwritten; one witness; a witness without a pin code; signed in the new name; the wrongly-written-name wording used for a change, or the reverse. |
| 4. CD with certificate | The proforma's notice in a Word file, without the witness portion, with the old name typed in place of the signature. A signed certificate on paper: "Certified that the soft copy on the enclosed CD and the hard copy of the notice are the same." The CD labelled with the applicant's name. | A PDF instead of Word; the witness portion left in; the certificate unsigned. |
| 5. Request letter | To the Controller of Publications, Department of Publication, Civil Lines, Delhi 110054. Subject: publication of change of name in the Gazette of India, Part IV. The request, the list of enclosures, the BharatKosh receipt number and date, the applicant's mobile and email, the applicant's signature in the old name. | No receipt number; the letter signed by an agent. |
What goes with the five
Two passport photographs; self-attested copies of the applicant's Aadhaar and PAN and of both witnesses' Aadhaar; the BharatKosh receipt; for an applicant abroad, the affidavit attested by the Indian mission and the higher fee. Documents not older than about a year.
BharatKosh, field by field
bharatkosh.gov.in, Non-Registered Users, Quick Payment; Ministry: Housing and Urban Affairs; Purpose: Department of Publication, Gazette notification; the amount for adult or minor; the payer's name exactly as the old name on the affidavit; the address; UPI, net banking or card. Download the receipt with its transaction reference and print it for the file.
Reading the published notice
The e-Gazette PDF carries the Gazette of India number, the Part IV heading, the date of publication, the page number and your notice in its own paragraph. Every office reads the number, the date and the page; write them on every covering letter. A notice with a misprint is corrected by corrigendum within six months, free where the press erred; a corrected notice is what each office gets.
Where to Go in Garhwa, in Order, for a Name Change
Read the issuing office on your certificate
The town body only inside its limits, one of twenty blocks, Palamu at Medininagar before April 1991, or another state's office if it was issued across the border.
Settle the spelling against the Class 10 certificate
Decide between Kumar and Kumaar, Prasad and Prashad once, and bring every other paper to that form. The khatiyan governs where land is involved.
District court, then the classified desks
Only if a gazette is actually needed: the affidavit before a notary, then two notices with identical wording in a Hindi and an English daily, two complete copies of each.
Pay on BharatKosh and post the file
Speed Post to Civil Lines, Delhi 110054 in your own name; then Aadhaar, PAN, the school or board, the labour card, the bank and the circle office.
The five papers that go in the envelope are on the gazette documents page; the sending itself on the sending page.
School, Board and Land Record Corrections in Garhwa
A Jharkhand Academic Council certificate is corrected against the school's admission register, through the school rather than through you, escalated to the District Education Officer or District Superintendent of Education when a school will not forward the file. Anyone schooled before 2000 holds a Bihar School Examination Board certificate, corrected by that board, and families on the border sometimes hold Uttar Pradesh or Chhattisgarh board certificates, which only those boards can correct. If the admission register carries the same spelling as the certificate, there is nothing to correct against and the route becomes a public notice quoting the wrong form exactly.
What a Name Change Costs From Garhwa
| Item | Cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spelling correction at the issuing office | That office's own small fee | The right route for most Kumar and Prasad cases; no gazette fee at all |
| Affidavit at the district court | Commonly Rs 100 to Rs 500 | Stamp paper and notary together; no value is prescribed by the Department |
| Two newspaper notices | Rs 800 to Rs 4,000 | Garhwa editions cost less than the Ranchi editions of the same dailies |
| Government gazette fee | Commonly Rs 1,100 adult, Rs 1,700 minor, Rs 1,350 public notice | BharatKosh only, in your own name, revised each financial year |
| Speed Post to Delhi | At actual cost | Two to four working days from Garhwa |
| Birth certificate correction | The block's or town body's own small fee | Section 15; a margin correction, the original entry is never erased |
| Aadhaar and PAN | Rs 50 to Rs 75; Rs 72 or Rs 107 | Per attempt; Aadhaar is not refunded on rejection |
| Our charge | Quoted per case; the route check is free | Full bill on the cost page |
Name Change Myths and Mistakes in Garhwa
The myths the state pages carry
- "A Jharkhand gazette office with a helpline"; the only office is the Department of Publication in Delhi.
- "Apply online through the e-Gazette portal"; that portal shows published gazettes, it does not take applications.
- "You must have no pending court case"; no such eligibility rule exists.
- "A demand draft in favour of the Controller of Publications, Jharkhand"; drafts stopped in October 2018 and no such controller exists.
The local mistakes
- Applying in Garhwa for an entry written before April 1991 under Palamu.
- Going to the town body for a birth registered in one of the twenty blocks.
- Paying for a gazette because one paper says Kumar and another says Kumaar.
- Treating Nagar Untari and Shree Banshidhar Nagar as two different places.
- Asking a Jharkhand office to correct an Uttar Pradesh or Chhattisgarh certificate.
Garhwa Name Change Terms Explained
- Parent district
- Palamu, of which Garhwa was a subdivision until 1 April 1991; older registers stayed at Medininagar.
- Block registrar
- The registering authority in each of the twenty blocks, which holds nearly every birth entry here.
- Reorganised block
- A newer block made out of the original eight; an old entry may name the older block and still be valid.
- Bechiragi village
- An uninhabited village still on the revenue rolls; the district counts 62 of them.
- Nagar Untari and Shree Banshidhar Nagar
- Two names for one subdivision and block after the place was renamed; not a name problem.
- Spelling variant
- The same name written differently in Hindi, such as Kumar and Kumaar or Prasad and Prashad; corrected, not changed.
- Anchor certificate
- The Class 10 certificate, which every later office reads first.
- Cross-border certificate
- A document issued in Uttar Pradesh or Chhattisgarh; only that state can correct it.
- Section 15 correction
- The Registrar's correction of a birth entry under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969; a margin entry, not an erasure.
- One-and-the-same-person affidavit
- A notarised statement that two spellings are one person; it holds a labour card, bank or employer file together while a correction runs.
- Public notice
- The gazette route for a name wrongly written on a certificate, quoting the wrong spelling exactly.
- Part IV
- The section of the Gazette of India carrying private notices, published from Delhi and downloaded free.
Name Change Help Across Garhwa District and Nearby
The whole state is covered from our Ranchi desk and the Delhi filing office; other district pages are linked from the services page.
Send your Garhwa documents on WhatsApp
Photograph the Class 10 certificate, the Aadhaar, and the birth certificate with the office that issued it. The first reply says which register holds your entry, which spelling to keep, whether the case is a correction or a gazette, and what it will cost. If you are working outside the state, we handle the whole file over WhatsApp and post and tell you exactly what a family member needs to carry to the block office. Details on the contact page.
- 📞Call 9540005002
Monday to Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM - WhatsApp 9540005064
Send your scans here, it is the fastest way - ✉️info@jharkhandnamechange.com
- 📍Ranchi office: Main Building, Near Shaheed Chowk, Ranchi, Jharkhand 834001
- 🏛️Head office (Gazette filing desk): Metro Pillar No. 377, Near Burari Metro Station, Shop No. B-1, Ground Floor, Gali No. 1, Khasra No. 31/12, Hardev Nagar, Jharoda Majra, Burari, Delhi 110084
Name Change in Garhwa: Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a gazette office in Garhwa?
My certificate is from 1988. Where is that record?
Where do I correct a birth certificate in Garhwa district?
One paper says Kumar and another says Kumaar. Do I need a gazette?
My old paper says Nagar Untari and the new one says Shree Banshidhar Nagar. Is that a problem?
My certificate names a block that does not cover my village now. Is it still valid?
I work outside the state. Do I have to come home for this?
My school certificate is from Uttar Pradesh. Can a Garhwa office correct it?
Is there a rule that I must have no pending court case?
Where do I make the affidavit in Garhwa?
Which newspapers should I use in Garhwa?
How long does it take from Garhwa?
People also search for: name change in Garhwa, gazette name change Garhwa, birth certificate correction Garhwa, Nagar Untari Banshidhar Nagar birth certificate, Ranka Bhawanathpur Meral Majhiaon birth certificate, pre 1991 Palamu records, Kumar or Kumaar spelling, JAC certificate correction Garhwa.
Official Sources for Garhwa Name Changes
- Garhwa, about the districtThe 1 April 1991 separation from Palamu, the three subdivisions and the block count.
- Garhwa district historyThe original eight blocks, the village counts and the single municipal town.
- Blocks and panchayatsThe current block list, useful before a counter visit.
- JharSewa e-District portalCaste, residence, income and EWS certificates.
- Civil Registration SystemBirth and death registration and the Registrar's correction route.
- Department of Publication, Government of IndiaThe gazette guidelines, proformas and fees.
Name Change in Garhwa in Eight Lines
The short version
- One municipal town, so almost every birth entry is a block record.
- Twenty blocks today, grown from the original eight of 1991.
- Anything written before 1 April 1991 belongs to Palamu at Medininagar.
- Nagar Untari and Shree Banshidhar Nagar are one place.
- Kumar and Kumaar, Prasad and Prashad are corrections, not changes of name.
- Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh certificates are corrected only in those states.
- Working outside the state does not stop the file; only the block visit needs someone local.
- A correction is often free of gazette cost; a gazette runs three to seven weeks.
Garhwa or Palamu? Kumar or Kumaar? We settle both before you pay
Send your documents on WhatsApp and find out whether you need a gazette at all.