The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved a proposal to change the name of ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, bringing the state’s official name in line with how it is written and spoken in the Malayalam language. Officials clarified that the decision only involves a change in the name of the state and does not affect the state’s boundaries, administrative setup or constitutional status.
The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With this approval, the centre has accepted the long pending request made by the Kerala government.
Under Article 3 of the constitution any change in the name of the state requires Parliament’s approval. As part of this procedure, the President will refer to the proposed bill to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for its view even though the assembly has already passed resolutions supporting the change.
After this step, the Centre is expected to introduce the Bill that contains Kerala’s alternation of name. Once the bill has passed both the houses and receive the president’s assent ‘Keralam’ will become the official name in all of the central government’s records.
The demand to change the name of the state has been raised for years with the argument that ‘Keralam’ is the original and correct name in Malayalam. The English name ‘Kerala’ came into official use during the colonial period.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution in 2023 seeking the name change, followed by another resolution in June 2024 reiterating the demand and urging the Centre to act on it. Once the process is completed, the new name would be reflected in official documents, central government records and communication issued by constitutional authorities. Changes to signboards, letterheads and other official places are expected to be carried out gradually.
