Maharashtra state government has gathered more than Rs. 5 crores due to the increasing name change applications for the last one year. More than one lakh name change applicants filed an application for a name change due to several reasons ranging from marriage, divorce, change of religion, and spelling errors in documents. The rise in the fee amount for the name change application has contributed to raising the total amount for the Maharashtra government to a new level.

In comparison to the earlier times, the procedure for changing the name of applicants has eased out to a great extent. This is simply due to the increasing digitization across the nation. Maharashtra e-Seva Kendra has been registering an increase in the number of name change applicants due to the less time-consuming procedure for a name change. Although there is a hike in the application fee since the year 2015, people have no other choice than to pay the stipulated amount to complete the process.

In 2015, the fee for name change application witnessed a hike from Rs. 120 to Rs. 523 each. And in 2017, the additional GST cost took the total amount to Rs. 613 each, before it declined to Rs. 523 in 2018. People have been visiting many online platforms for Gazette booking for changing their names to a new one. The number of applications for name change has increased significantly in the Gazette due to several reasons. In fact, this year, the Maharashtra state government has introduced a separate column for transgenders on name change application form following the order of Mumbai High Court to help them change their names in a convenient manner.