Google Maps has reportedly updated its features amidst the ongoing discussions about changing India’s name to ‘Bharat’. It now displays “Bharat” as a “Country in South Asia” alongside the Indian flag digital code. This alteration follows India’s use of “President of Bharat” in official communication during the G20 Summit held in September.
Reports suggest that searching for “Bharat” on Google Maps, in both Hindi and English, results in similar outcomes to searching for “India”. The platform refers to India as a “Country in South Asia” and offers users access to the official Indian map.
This change is consistent across Google products, including Search, Translator, and News, providing users with the option to access information using both “Bharat” and “India”.
It’s important to note that Google has not officially confirmed these alterations. There are observed changes that may have been made in the background by Google.
Moreover, this adjustment in Google aligns with the Indian government’s recent inclinations towards using “Bharat” in official communications. This shift is in line with the recommendations from the National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) in India, which has proposed substituting the word ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in school textbooks. According to Article 1 of the Indian Constitution, the official name of the country is referred to as “India, that is Bharat shall be a Union of States.”
