**Executive Summary**
The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of 'Kerala' to 'Keralam' on 24 FEB 2026. The President of India will refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for its views. After receiving the views of the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala, Government of India will take further action and obtain the recommendation of the President for introduction of the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in Parliament.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Name Alteration Approval:**
* The Union Cabinet has approved the alteration of the name of the State of 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'.
* **Legislative Process:**
* The President 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 of India.
* The Government of India will take further action after receiving the views from the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala.
* The President's recommendation will be obtained before introducing the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 in Parliament.
* **Background & Rationale:**
* The Legislative Assembly of Kerala passed a resolution on 24.06.2024 to alter the name to 'Keralam', reflecting the name in Malayalam.
* The resolution referenced the formation of states based on language on November 1, 1956, and the historical demand for a united Kerala.
* **Constitutional Provision:**
* Article 3 of the Constitution allows Parliament to alter the name of any state.
* A Bill for this purpose can only be introduced with the President's recommendation.
* **Inter-Departmental Consultation:**
* The matter was considered by the Ministry of Home Affairs with approval from the Union Minister of Home Affairs and the Union Minister of Cooperation.
* The draft Note for the Cabinet was circulated to the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice, who concurred with the proposal.
**Impact Analysis**
**Kerala State Legislative Assembly**
* **Impact:** The Kerala State Legislative Assembly will be required to express its views on the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026.
* **Action Required:** The Assembly needs to review the Bill and provide its feedback to the President of India within the specified timeframe.
**Government of India**
* **Impact:** The Government of India is tasked with processing the name alteration of the State of Kerala.
* **Action Required:** The Government of India needs to take further action on the bill.
**President of India**
* **Impact:** The President of India is tasked with reviewing the proposed name change for the state of Kerala.
* **Action Required:** The President needs to refer the Bill to the State Legislative Assembly of Kerala for their views.
**Parliament**
* **Impact:** The Parliament is tasked with ratifying the proposed name change for the state of Kerala.
* **Action Required:** The Parliament needs to review and vote on the name change for the State of Kerala.
**Citizens of Kerala**
* **Impact:** The citizens of Kerala will be subject to the updated changes to their state.
* **Action Required:** No action required.
Key Entities Referenced
Constitution of India: The fundamental law of India, specifically Article 3 which deals with the alteration of names of existing states.
Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026: A bill proposed to change the name of the State of 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'.
Ministry of Home Affairs: The central ministry responsible for matters relating to the internal security of India, including name changes of states.
Legislative Assembly of Kerala: The state legislative body which passed a resolution to alter the name of the State of 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'.
Kerala: The state whose name is proposed to be changed to 'Keralam'.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Cabinet approves alteration of the name of the
State of “Kerala” to “Keralam”
Posted On: 24 FEB 2026 3:54PM 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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