Maneka Gandhi to MHRD: Father’s Name should not be Compulsory for Degrees
Maneka wrote that several women who had separated from their husbands had approached her seeking a solution to the problems they face in getting degrees for their children without their father’s name mentioned on it.
In order to address the concerns raised by single mothers, Minister of Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi has asked the HRD Ministry to eliminate the requirement which states that it is compulsory to mention the father’s name on the degree certificate. She wrote to the HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, requesting him to make amendments to this rule.
In her letter to the HRD Ministry, Maneka wrote that several women who had separated from their husbands had approached her seeking a solution to the problems they face in getting degrees for their children without their father’s name mentioned on it.
She further added that separation of spouses and breaking of marriages is a reality that the system must accept. The rules in different fields must be revised accordingly for the sake of single mothers, she said.
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In 2016, Maneka Gandhi had also appealed the Ministry of External Affairs to alter its passport application rules. Following the request of the minister, the External Affairs Ministry declared that it is not necessary for the applicants to mention the names of both their parents on the application form. The new norms enabled single parents to apply for their children’s passports.
The request was made when a petition was started on change.org by a single parent Priyanka Gupta. She requested the Ministry of External Affairs to change the passport rules so that she could apply for her daughter's passport without the necessity of mentioning her husband's name.
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The petition was addressed to Sushma Swaraj and Maneka Gandhi. A committee was formed to take a decision in this regard. The committee comprising the members of both the ministries and after much deliberation it was announced that one parent’s name was enough for the passport.