Union Cabinet approves renaming Kerala as 'Keralam'
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of Kerala to 'Keralam' on 24 February 2026.
Summary
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the proposal to alter the name of the State of Kerala to 'Keralam' on 24 February 2026. The President will now refer the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to the Kerala Legislative Assembly for its views under the proviso to Article 3 of the Constitution; after that, the Bill will be introduced in Parliament on the President's recommendation. The Kerala Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on 24 June 2024 noting that the State is called 'Keralam' in Malayalam, that States were formed on a linguistic basis on 1 November 1956 (Kerala Piravi Day), and that the First Schedule records the name as 'Kerala'.
Key facts
- Date
- 24 February 2026
- Change
- Kerala → Keralam
- Bill
- Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026
- Constitutional route
- Article 3 — Parliament may by law alter a State's name; Bill needs President's recommendation and reference to the State legislature
- Assembly resolution
- 24 June 2024, unanimous
- Schedule
- First Schedule lists State names
- Kerala Piravi Day
- 1 November (linguistic States formed 1 Nov 1956)
Practice MCQs 5 questions
On 24 February 2026, the Union Cabinet approved altering the name of which State to 'Keralam'?
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Correct answer: D — Kerala
The Cabinet approved the proposal to alter the name of Kerala to 'Keralam'.
Under which Article of the Constitution can Parliament by law alter the name of a State, as cited for Kerala's renaming?
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Correct answer: B — Article 3
Article 3 provides that Parliament may by law alter the name of any State.
When did the Kerala Legislative Assembly pass the resolution seeking to rename the State as 'Keralam'?
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Correct answer: B — 24 June 2024
The Assembly passed the resolution on 24 June 2024; the Union Cabinet approved the proposal on 24 February 2026.
Kerala Piravi Day, cited in the Kerala Assembly's 'Keralam' resolution, is observed on:
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Correct answer: C — 1 November
States were formed on a linguistic basis on 1 November 1956, which is also Kerala Piravi Day.
Consider the following statements regarding the renaming of a State: 1. A Bill under Article 3 to alter a State's name can be introduced in Parliament only on the recommendation of the President, after it has been referred to the State Legislature for its views. 2. The names of the States are recorded in the First Schedule to the Constitution. Which of the above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: C — Both 1 and 2
Both are correct. The proviso to Article 3 requires the President's recommendation and a reference to the State Legislature; the Kerala resolution notes the name is recorded as 'Kerala' in the First Schedule.