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Govt stand welcomed by single mothers who say it was a constant irritant while filling upThe rising tribe of single mothers was given a shot in the arm, after the government said it was not mandatory to mention the father’s name while writing the full name of applicant in legal documents and government records.This reply came after Hebbal MLA R Jagadeesh Kumar sought to know the state government's stand on "mentioning father's name" with regards to kids being raised by single mothers in the ongoing assembly session.Though there are no rules to this effect, the government's reply came as a relief for single mothers whose fight for a life of dignity has often been disrupted by insensitive comments from bureaucrats.Time and again, they have been nagged by government officials who insist that the father's name be mentioned while filling up legal documents and applications.Ramya S, an unmarried singleand technical writer at a multi-national company, said: "This is good news. I was not only tired of answering stupid questions about my daughter's father but also had to constantly fight gossip and discrimination. I used to dread filling up forms as officials insist on writing the father's name."MLA Kumar, who raised the issue in the assembly, feels that existing rules of filling names in the applications are biased. “In this modern world, a lot of transformation has taken place in family systems. Now single parenting is rapidly growing; it could mean men or women. But, government departments are not sensitised, they ask applicants to fill the name of father, mother, caste, religion and others,” Kumar said.To a related question on whether an applicant can use the name of mother instead of father while filling the application, the state government replied, “There is no problem in adding the name of the mother instead of father while applicant writes his or her full name.”However, the state government maintains no proposals are pending before the government to amend existing rules.Legal luminaries feel that the state government should come up with a circular to clear all doubts of single parents.Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, former advocate general Ashok Harnahalli said, “We have to move with the times. The government should put an end to all kind of apprehensions of people by bringing out an order; just oral assurances do not work.”Another former advocate general of the state Uday Holla said it was legally correct to not mention any name at all.“If someone does not know who his or her father or mother is, they can leave the space blank or mention the name of either father or mother who is looking after them. I too have heard of people facing problems. Some of the single parenting people are very vocal about the government coming out with clear rules on the matter. Celebrities like Sushmita Sen have adopted daughters,” he said.Even family counsellors feel that insisting on the father's name should be discarded.Dr Joseph George, a professional counsellor who operates on Millers Road, said: "It was a wrong policy because single motherhood is a choice. The commitment that the mother shows towards bringing up the child needs to be respected as she is the primary caretaker and needs to be given value. By coming up with policies like this, that aspect is not duly respected and it is a positive sign that it has been changed."* The Delhi High court in 2011 directed the Regional Passport office to not make the absence of father’s name the ground for rejection of applications.*A government resolution by the Maharashtra woman and child welfare department in 2014 said children could use either their mother’s or father’s name in official documents.* CBDT, which is the law making body of the income tax department in India, revised forms 49A and 49AA to include the option of including the mother’s name in applications for PAN cards.