The Union Cabinet has approved the Kerala government’s proposal to officially rename the state as “Keralam,” advancing a long-pending demand rooted in linguistic and cultural identity. The decision comes just months ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in the state and marks a key administrative step toward implementing the name change through the constitutional process.
The proposal was cleared during a Union Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Seva Teerth, the newly inaugurated Prime Minister’s Office complex in Delhi. The meeting also marked the first Cabinet session held at the new venue after the previous gathering at South Block on February 13.
The move follows the Kerala Legislative Assembly’s unanimous adoption of a revised resolution on June 25, 2024, requesting the Centre to officially change the state’s name to Keralam. This was the second time the Assembly passed such a resolution, after an earlier one approved unanimously in August 2023 was reviewed by the central government. The Centre had suggested certain technical modifications to ensure clarity and compliance with constitutional procedures, prompting the state government to reintroduce and pass the updated resolution.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who introduced the motion in the Assembly, argued that the name “Keralam” reflects the state’s historical and cultural identity more accurately. He noted that the term is already used in Malayalam, the state’s primary language, and has deep historical roots linked to the region’s identity and the long-standing demand for a unified Malayalam-speaking state during the national freedom movement.
The resolution urged the Union government to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution under Article 3 so that the state’s name is officially recorded as “Keralam.” It also requested that the revised name be reflected uniformly across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution to ensure consistency in official usage nationwide.
With Cabinet approval now granted, the proposal will move forward through the constitutional process, which includes further legislative steps at the central level before the name change can formally take effect.
