Kerala now becomes ‘Keralam’; Union Cabinet Approves State’s Proposal to Rename
The Kerala legislative assembly had earlier passed a unanimous resolution on June 24, 2024, requesting the Centre to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution to reflect the state’s name as ‘Keralam’, which is how it is referred to in the Malayalam language.
Bill to be referred to state assembly under Article 3 before introduction in Parliament
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to alter the name of the state of Kerala to ‘Keralam’, initiating the constitutional process required for effecting the change.
Following the Cabinet’s approval, the President will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala legislative assembly to seek its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution. After receiving the state assembly’s response, the government will take further steps and obtain the President’s recommendation for introducing the Bill in Parliament.
The Kerala legislative assembly had earlier passed a unanimous resolution on June 24, 2024, requesting the Centre to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution to reflect the state’s name as ‘Keralam’, which is how it is referred to in the Malayalam language.
The resolution stated that states were reorganised on linguistic lines on November 1, 1956, and that the name recorded in the First Schedule of the Constitution remains ‘Kerala’. It urged the Union government to take steps under Article 3 to modify the name to ‘Keralam’.
Subsequently, the government of Kerala formally requested the Union government to amend the Constitution to effect the change.
Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to alter the name of any state by law. However, a Bill for this purpose can be introduced in Parliament only on the recommendation of the President. Where the proposal affects the name, area or boundaries of a state, the Bill must first be referred by the President to the concerned state legislature for expressing its views within a specified period.
The proposal was examined by the ministry of home affairs. After approval by the Union home minister, the draft Cabinet note was circulated to the department of legal affairs and the legislative department in the ministry of law and justice. Both departments concurred with the proposal to alter the name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’.
The change will take effect only after the Bill is introduced and passed by Parliament and receives Presidential assent.
