**Executive Summary**
On February 24, 2026, the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of "Kerala" to "Keralam." Subsequently, the President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for their views as per Article 3 of the Constitution. The Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution on June 24, 2024, to change the name of the state.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Cabinet Approval and Bill Introduction:**
* The Union Cabinet approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of "Kerala" to "Keralam."
* The President will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala.
* The bill's introduction in Parliament requires the President's recommendation.
* **Constitutional Requirements:**
* Article 3 of the Constitution allows Parliament to alter the name of any State.
* A bill altering a state's name must be referred to the State Legislature for its views, if the bill affects the state name.
* **Background:**
* The Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution on June 24, 2024, to alter the name of the State of "Kerala" to "Keralam."
* The Government of Kerala requested the Government of India to amend the First Schedule to the Constitution.
* **Review Process:**
* The Ministry of Home Affairs considered the matter.
* The draft Cabinet Note was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, which concurred with the proposal.
**Impact Analysis**
**State Legislative Assembly of Kerala**
* **Impact:** The State Legislative Assembly is directly impacted by the need to review the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026.
* **Action Required:** Express their views on the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, as per Article 3 of the Constitution.
**Government of India**
* **Impact:** The Government of India will take further action after getting the views of the Kerala legislative assembly and obtaining the recommendation of the President.
* **Action Required:** To take further action and seek the recommendation of the President to introduce the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 for alteration of name of State of 'Kerala' as 'Keralam' in Parliament.
**President of India**
* **Impact:** The President of India will refer a bill to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for expressing its views under proviso to article 3 of the Constitution of India.
* **Action Required:** Recommend the introduction of the bill in the parliament for further approval.
Key Entities Referenced
Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026: A bill proposed to alter the name of the State of 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'.
Constitution of India: The supreme law of India, specifically referenced for Article 3 regarding alteration of states' names.
Kerala: The state whose name is proposed to be changed to 'Keralam'.
Article 3 of the Constitution: Article of the Constitution outlining the procedure for the alteration of names of existing States.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves alteration of the name of the
State of “Kerala” to “Keralam”
Posted On: 24 FEB 2026 3:20PM by PIB Delhi
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today approved the proposal for
alteration of name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’.
After approval of Union Cabinet, the President of India will refer a Bill, namely the Kerala (Alteration of
Name) Bill, 2026 to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for expressing its views under proviso to
article 3 of the Constitution of India. After receipt of the views of the State Legislative Assembly of
Kerala, Government of India will take further action and the recommendation of President will be
obtained for introduction of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 for alteration of name of State of
‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’ in Parliament.
Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution on 24.06.2024 to alter the name of the State of
“Kerala” to “Keralam”, which is as under:
“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'."
Thereafter, Government of Kerala has requested Government of India to take necessary steps to amend the
First Schedule to the Constitution by altering the name of 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. According to article 3,
Parliament may by law alter the name of any State. Further proviso to article 3 states that no Bill for the
purpose shall be introduced in either House of Parliament except on the recommendation of the President
and unless, where the proposal contained in the Bill affects the area, boundaries or name of any of the
States, the Bill has been referred by the President to the Legislature of that State for expressing its views
thereon within such period as may be specified in the reference or within such further period as the
President may allow and the period so specified or allowed has expired.
The matter regarding alteration of name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’ was considered in the Ministry
of Home Affairs, Government of India and with the approval of Shri Amit Shah, Union Minister of Home
Affairs and the Union Minister of Cooperation, the draft Note for the Cabinet for the alteration of name of
State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’ was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative
Department, Ministry of Law and Justice for their comments. The Department of Legal Affairs and
Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice have concurred with the proposal for the alteration of
name of State of ‘Kerala’ as ‘Keralam’.****
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