THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 24, 2026
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved
the proposal for alteration of the name of the State of “Kerala” to “Keralam”.
Following the Cabinet’s approval, the President of India will refer the
Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the State Legislative Assembly of
Kerala for expressing its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the
Constitution of India. After receipt of the views of the State Legislative
Assembly, the Government of India will take further action, and the
recommendation of the President will be obtained for introduction of the Kerala
(Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in Parliament to effect the change from
“Kerala” to “Keralam”.
The Legislative Assembly of Kerala had earlier passed a resolution on 24
June 2024 seeking the change. The resolution stated:
“The name of our State is
'Keralam' in Malayalam Language. States were formed on the basis of language on
the 1st day of November, 1956. The Kerala Piravi Day is also on the 1st day of
November. Since the time of National Independence Struggle, there has been a
strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking
Malayalam language. But in the First Schedule to the Constitution the name of
our State is recorded as 'Kerala'. This Assembly unanimously appeal to the
Central Government to take urgent steps as per Article 3 of the Constitution
for modifying the name as 'Keralam'."
Subsequently, the Government of Kerala requested the Government of India
to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution to alter the name of the State
from “Kerala” to “Keralam” in accordance with Article 3.
Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to alter the name of any State by law. The proviso to Article 3 stipulates that no such Bill shall be introduced in either House of Parliament except on the recommendation of the President, and unless the proposal has been referred by the President to the Legislature of the concerned State for expressing its views within a specified period.
The proposal for renaming the State was examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs. With the approval of Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, the draft Cabinet Note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice for their comments. Both Departments have concurred with the proposal for the alteration of the name of the State of “Kerala” to “Keralam”.
