Cabinet Approves Alteration of the Name of the State of “Kerala” to “Keralam”

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday approved a proposal to alter the name of the State of Kerala to Keralam, marking a significant step toward aligning the State’s official name with its usage in the Malayalam language.

Following the Cabinet’s approval, the Union Cabinet decision will set in motion the constitutional process outlined under Article 3 of the Constitution. The President of India will now refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly to seek its views, as required by the proviso to Article 3. After the State Assembly’s response is received, the Union Government will proceed with further steps, including obtaining the President’s recommendation for the introduction of the Bill in Parliament.

The move follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, which urged the Centre to change the State’s name to “Keralam.” The resolution noted that “Keralam” is the State’s name in the Malayalam language and highlighted that States were reorganised on linguistic lines on November 1, 1956, a date also observed as Kerala Piravi Day. It recalled the historical demand during the national independence movement for a unified State for Malayalam-speaking people and appealed to the Central Government to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution accordingly.

Subsequently, the Government of Kerala formally requested the Union Government to initiate the constitutional amendment process to alter the State’s name. Under Article 3, Parliament is empowered to change the name of an existing State by law, subject to the mandatory procedure of seeking the concerned State Legislature’s views and the President’s recommendation.

The proposal was examined in detail by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and, after approval by Amit Shah, the draft Cabinet note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department under the Ministry of Law and Justice. Both departments concurred with the proposal, paving the way for the Cabinet’s final approval.

The Cabinet decision is being seen as a symbolic yet important acknowledgment of linguistic and cultural identity, and it brings the official nomenclature of the State closer to how it has been known and spoken of by its people for generations.

Reference: PIB