Parliament clears renaming of Kerala to “Keralam”

Why in the News

Both Houses passed a Bill to rename Kerala as “Keralam”, its name in Malayalam. The change follows two resolutions of the Kerala Assembly and routes through the constitutional process for altering a state’s name.

How is a state renamed under the Constitution?

1. Parliament’s power: Under Article 3, Parliament can alter the name of a state by law.
2. Presidential referral: Such a Bill needs the President’s recommendation and the views of the affected state legislature.
3. Simple majority: The change is passed by ordinary legislative majority, not a constitutional amendment.

Why “Keralam”?

1. Linguistic identity: “Keralam” is the state’s name in Malayalam, and the change aligns official usage with local usage.
2. Assembly resolutions: The Kerala Assembly twice sought the change unanimously.

Why does the process matter?

1. Union primacy: Only Parliament, not the state, can effect the legal renaming.
2. Federal courtesy: The state legislature’s view is sought, but its resolution is not binding.

Back2Basics: Article 3 of the Constitution

1. Scope: Formation of new states and alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing states.
2. Initiation: Only on the President’s recommendation, after seeking the state legislature’s views.
3. Nature: Treated as an ordinary law, reflecting the “indestructible states” feature of Indian federalism.

“[2022, GS1, 15] The political and administrative reorganization of states and territories has been a continuous ongoing process since the mid-nineteenth century. Discuss with examples.”

[2025] Consider the following pairs :
State:Description
1. Arunachal Pradesh: The capital is named after a fort, and the state has two National Parks
2. Nagaland: The State came into Existence on the basis of a Constitutional Amendment Act.
3. Tripura: Initially a Part ‘C’ State, it became a centrally administered territory with the reorganization of State in 1956 and later attained the status of a full-fledged State
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

[A] Only one

[B] Only two

[C] All the three

[D] None