Kerala as Keralam proposal moves forward after Union Cabinet approval.
Kerala’ as ‘Keralam has been approved by the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The decision was taken today to alter the name of the State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’.
After the Union Cabinet approval, the President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala. This will be done under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India. The Assembly will express its views on the proposed change.
Once the views of the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala are received, the Government of India will take further action. After that, the recommendation of the President will be obtained. Then the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 will be introduced in Parliament for changing the name of the State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’.
The Legislative Assembly of Kerala had earlier passed a resolution on 24.06.2024. In the resolution, the Assembly said that the name of the State in Malayalam language is ‘Keralam’. It also mentioned that States were formed on the basis of language on 1st November 1956. Kerala Piravi Day is also observed on 1st November.
The resolution stated that during the National Independence Struggle, there was a strong demand for a United Kerala for Malayalam-speaking people. However, in the First Schedule of the Constitution, the name of the State is recorded as ‘Kerala’. The Assembly unanimously appealed to the Central Government to take urgent steps under Article 3 of the Constitution to modify the name to ‘Keralam’.
After passing the resolution, the Government of Kerala requested the Government of India to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution. The request was made to alter the name of the State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’ as per Article 3 of the Constitution.
Article 3 of the Constitution provides for alteration of names of existing States. As per Article 3, Parliament may by law alter the name of any State. The proviso states that no Bill for this purpose can be introduced in either House of Parliament without the recommendation of the President.
It also states that if the proposal affects the name of any State, the Bill must be referred by the President to the Legislature of that State. The Legislature must express its views within the period specified by the President or within any extended period allowed.
The matter of Kerala’ as ‘Keralam was examined by the Ministry of Home AffKerala’ as ‘Keralamairs, Government of India. With the approval of Shri Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Union Minister of Cooperation, the draft Note for the Cabinet was prepared.
The draft was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice for comments. Both departments agreed with the proposal for Kerala’ as ‘Keralam.
If the Bill is passed by Parliament, the name of the State will be officially changed in the Constitution from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’. People can expect further updates after the State Assembly gives its views and the Bill is introduced in Parliament.
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