Union Cabinet approves renaming Kerala as ‘Keralam’
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, February 24, approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, initiating the constitutional process required for amending the First Schedule of the Constitution.Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Cabinet, in its first meeting, cleared decisions worth Rs 12,236 crore along with two major policy decisions and one resolution, including the renaming proposal.Following the Cabinet’s approval, President Droupadi Murmu will refer the proposed Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for expressing its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India.After receipt of the Assembly’s views, the Union government will take further action and obtain the President’s recommendation for introduction of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in Parliament.The move follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, urging the Union to modify the State’s name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, the name used in Malayalam. The resolution noted: “The name of our State is ‘Keralam’ in Malayalam language.” Kerala to become ‘Keralam’? What the Constitution says about renaming a state In 2024, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had moved the resolution in the Assembly and urged the Union government to change the name of Kerala to “Keralam” in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.The term ‘Keralam’ is widely used in Malayalam and is believed to have origins linked either to the ancient Chera dynasty or to the Malayalam words “Kera” (coconut) and “Alam” (land).The Assembly observed that States were reorganised on linguistic lines on November 1, 1956, and that the demand for a unified Malayalam-speaking region had existed since the independence struggle. However, in the First Schedule to the Constitution, the State’s name is recorded as ‘Kerala’.Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to alter the name of any State by law. It also mandates that any such Bill can be introduced in Parliament only on the recommendation of the President and after being referred to the concerned State Legislature for its views within a specified period.The proposal was examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and with the approval of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the draft Cabinet note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice. Both departments concurred with the proposal.
Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
THE Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday, February 24, approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, initiating the constitutional process required for amending the First Schedule of the Constitution.
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the Cabinet, in its first meeting, cleared decisions worth Rs 12,236 crore along with two major policy decisions and one resolution, including the renaming proposal.
Following the Cabinet’s approval, President Droupadi Murmu will refer the proposed Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for expressing its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution of India.
After receipt of the Assembly’s views, the Union government will take further action and obtain the President’s recommendation for the introduction of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in Parliament.
The move follows a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on June 24, 2024, urging the Union to modify the State’s name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, the name used in Malayalam. The resolution noted, "The name of our state is ‘Keralam’ in the Malayalam language.”
In 2024, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved the resolution in the Assembly and urged the Union government to change the name of Kerala to “Keralam” in all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
The term ‘Keralam’ is widely used in Malayalam and is believed to have origins linked either to the ancient Chera dynasty or to the Malayalam words “Kera” (coconut) and “Alam” (land).
The Assembly observed that states were reorganised on linguistic lines on November 1, 1956, and that the demand for a unified Malayalam-speaking region had existed since the independence struggle. However, in the First Schedule to the Constitution, the state's name is recorded as ‘Kerala’.
Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to alter the name of any state by law. It also mandates that any such bill can be introduced in Parliament only on the recommendation of the President and after being referred to the concerned State Legislature for its views within a specified period.
The proposal was examined by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and with the approval of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the draft Cabinet note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and the Legislative Department of the Ministry of Law and Justice. Both departments concurred with the proposal.
