The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal of the Kerala government to officially rename the state as “Keralam.” The decision comes after the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution seeking the change. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had introduced the resolution on June 24, 2024, stating that the name “Keralam” reflects the state’s linguistic and cultural identity in Malayalam.
The state government urged the Centre to amend the name under Article 3 of the Constitution, as the First Schedule currently mentions the state as “Kerala.” It also requested that the revised name be reflected across all languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. The move is aimed at aligning the official nomenclature with traditional and widely accepted usage in the Malayalam language.
An earlier resolution sent in August 2023 had been returned by the Union Home Ministry citing technical observations. After incorporating the suggested changes, the Kerala government resubmitted the proposal, which was cleared by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday. The approval marks a significant procedural milestone toward effecting the name change.
The decision was taken during the first Cabinet meeting held at the newly inaugurated “Seva Teertham,” the new Prime Minister’s Office complex. With Assembly elections in Kerala scheduled for April–May, the move has drawn political attention. An official Gazette notification formalizing the renaming is expected to be issued shortly, completing the constitutional process.