India has officially assigned standard names to 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in a move widely seen as a direct response to China’s repeated attempts to rename locations in the border state.The Union Home Ministry said the naming exercise was conducted in consultation with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh. The 27 locations and geographical features have now been formally identified on official maps prepared by the Survey of India (SoI), reinforcing India’s position over the region.
In a significant assertion of India’s territorial and cartographic position, the Government of India has formally identified 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on official Survey of India (SoI) maps, strengthening the country’s authoritative geographical record of the strategically important border state.
The exercise, undertaken in consultation with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, is aimed at ensuring the accurate identification, standardised recognition and wider public awareness of these locations through India’s official cartographic records.
The 27 locations include Longju, Maja, Bisa, Bara Kundun, Chhota Kundun, Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Buddhamandir, Jairampur, Teritnagar, Ramnagar, Jaswant Garh, Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar, Baisakhi, Chhota Ropuk, Bara Ropuk, Shivaji Nagar, Sunpura and Kamlang Nagar. The list also includes four mountain passes—Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La and Thag La—as well as Sambho Sarovar lake and the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial.
The formal inclusion of these features on Survey of India maps gives them an established place in India’s official cartographic documentation and provides greater clarity for their identification in government records, infrastructure planning, border development and other administrative processes.
The move assumes added significance against the backdrop of China’s repeated attempts to assign its own names to locations in Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing refers to the Indian state as “South Tibet”, a claim that New Delhi has consistently rejected.
India’s latest initiative makes clear that geographical nomenclature cannot be used to rewrite territorial realities. Official mapping and standardised names form an important part of maintaining an authoritative national record of India’s territory and its geographical features.
The Union Home Ministry said the exercise was intended to strengthen formal recognition of the locations and improve public awareness.”Identifying them formally on the Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large.”
The latest step comes after China has repeatedly announced what it describes as “standardised names” for places in Arunachal Pradesh. Such exercises have been undertaken by Beijing on multiple occasions since 2017, covering settlements, rivers, mountains and other geographical features.
India has consistently maintained that changing names cannot alter sovereignty or create new territorial rights. In April, following another Chinese naming exercise, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal strongly rejected what India described as an attempt to assign fictitious names to Indian territory.
Jaiswal said India “categorically rejected any mischievous attempts by the Chinese side to assign fictitious names to places which form part of the territory of India”.”China should refrain from actions which inject negativity into relations and undermine efforts to create better understanding.”- He further added.
Jaiswal also stressed that such attempts to advance what he described as false claims cannot change the “undeniable reality that these places and territories, including Arunachal Pradesh, were, are, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India”.
The latest mapping exercise comes as India and China continue efforts to stabilise bilateral relations following the prolonged military standoff along the Line of Actual Control that began in 2020. While diplomatic and military dialogue continues over the boundary issue, India has remained firm that engagement cannot dilute its position on territorial integrity.
For New Delhi, the significance of the latest move extends beyond nomenclature. By placing the 27 locations firmly within India’s official cartographic framework, the Centre is reinforcing documentation, administrative clarity and public recognition of the geographical features of Arunachal Pradesh.
The message is clear: Maps Cannot Rewrite Arunachal’s Reality, names assigned unilaterally by another country cannot alter facts on the ground, India’s official maps or its position on the territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh.
(Wikimedia Commons)
