Rajya Sabha passes Bills to change Kerala’s name

The Rajya Sabha passed two more Bills — The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026. The Upper House has so far passed about 10 Bills, apart from some Money Bills that were returned to the Lok Sabha, during the stormy Monsoon Session.

In the reply to a debate on the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said the Bill was a step in continuation of the Kerala Assembly’s resolution in 2024 urging the Union government to change the name of the State to Keralam. “The Bill provides that the State of Kerala will be known as the State of Keralam, and hence there is a proposal to rename the State of Kerala to Keralam,” he said.

The Minister maintained that the Union government was committed to removing all symbols of slavery, names, signs, flags of institutions, or statues of great personalities that repeatedly wound the hearts of Indians and establishing all things, signs, or works that represent the pride of India’s heritage. “The proposal to change the name of the State from Kerala to Keralam is not only a matter of pride for the people of Kerala but also for all Indians,” he said.