SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Ministry of Home Affairs | Ministry of Law and Justice | Government of Keralam
The Union Cabinet has approved a historic proposal to alter the name of the State of “Kerala” to “Keralam,” aligning the official constitutional nomenclature with the state’s linguistic and cultural identity in Malayalam. Acting under Article 3 of the Constitution, the central government will now introduce the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, following a unanimous resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in June 2024. The reform aims to correct a long-standing discrepancy in the First Schedule to the Constitution, where the state was recorded as “Kerala” despite its linguistic formation as “Keralam” on November 1, 1956. Under the constitutional process, the President of India will refer the Bill to the state legislature for its views before it is formally introduced in Parliament for a final constitutional amendment.
Key Pillars of the “Keralam” Nomenclature Reform
Constitutional Realignment: Utilizing Article 3 to amend the First Schedule and synchronize official records with the Malayalam name of the state.
Linguistic Federalism: Honoring the basis of state formation (1956) by recognizing the Malayalam-speaking identity as “Keralam” in all federal documents.
Democratic Resolution: Responding to the unanimous 2024 resolution of the State Assembly, which appealed for the restoration of the state’s indigenous name.
Inter-Ministerial Concurrence: Coordinating the proposal across the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law and Justice to ensure legal and legislative fidelity.
Participatory Legislative Process: Adhering to the constitutional proviso that mandates the referral of the Bill to the affected state legislature for official views.
What is the “Article 3 Process” for Name Alteration? Article 3 of the Constitution empowers the Parliament of India to form new states, alter boundaries, or change the name of any existing state through a specific legislative procedure. The process begins with the Union Cabinet’s approval, after which the President of India refers the proposed Bill to the concerned State Legislature for their views within a specified period. Although the Parliament is not legally bound by the state’s views, this step ensures “Participatory Federalism.” Once the views are received, the Bill is introduced in either House of Parliament on the recommendation of the President and must be passed by a simple majority to officially amend the First Schedule.
Policy Relevance
For India, this name alteration represents a transition from “Post-Colonial Nomenclature” to “Indigenous Linguistic Identity,” strengthening the cultural fabric of India’s federal structure.
Sovereign Cultural Reassertion: Reclaiming the name “Keralam” ensures that the state’s identity is anchored in its 12th-century Malayalam roots, similar to the traditional knowledge protection identified in the TKDL-Brazil agreement.
Operationalizing Linguistic Federalism: The reform validates the 1956 “United Kerala” demand, ensuring that the First Schedule reflects the “Implementation Fidelity” of India’s language-based state reorganization.
Bypassing Administrative Discrepancy: Syncing the federal name with the local name prevents the administrative and digital friction identified in the Secretariat Reforms report regarding mismatched state records.
Strengthening Digital Inclusion: Aligning official names supports the BHASHINI and Adi Vaani missions by ensuring that national-level digital governance respects regional linguistic nuances.
Data-Driven Constitutional Accuracy: Updating the First Schedule provides the “High-Quality Data” needed for accurate national registries, ranging from census data to the e-Shram social security platform.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How should the Ministry of Home Affairs and MeitY utilize the BHASHINI platform to ensure that the name 'Keralam' is automatically updated across all federal digital public infrastructures (DPI)?
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