Why in news? Kerala Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to rename the state as “Keralam’’ in the Constitution.  This is the second time in the past year that such a resolution has been passed.

What’s in today’s article?

• Process of changing the name of a State
• Resolution passed by Kerala Assembly

Process of Changing the Name of a State

• Constitutional provision
  • Article 3 of the Indian Constitution outlines the process for changing the name of a state.
  • Article 3 also empowers the Parliament to:
    • Form new states by separating territory from existing states, uniting states or parts of states, or attaching a territory to a state.
    • Increase or decrease the area of a state.
    • Alter the boundaries of a state.
• Proposal by the State Legislature
• The proposal to change the name of a state typically begins with a resolution passed by the state legislature.
  • The resolution reflects the desire of the state to change its name.
• This process can also be initiated by the central government through a proposal to change the name of a state.
• Recommendation by the President
  • Once the state legislature passes the resolution, it is sent to the central government.
    • If the proposal is initiated by the Central govt, it must be submitted to the President of India.
  • The President of India must recommend the proposal to the Parliament before any action can be taken.
• Introduction of a Bill in Parliament
  • A bill to alter the name of a state is introduced in either house of Parliament (Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha).
    • The bill can only be introduced with the prior recommendation of the President.
• Referral to the State Legislature
• Before the bill is taken up for consideration in Parliament, the President is required to refer it to the legislature of the state concerned for expressing its views within a specified period.
• This is done to seek the opinion of the state legislature on the proposed change.
• Consideration of State Legislature's Views
  • The state legislature’s views are communicated back to the central government.
  • However, the Parliament is not bound by the state legislature’s opinion. It is merely a consultative process.
• Passage of the Bill in Parliament
  • The bill must be passed by a simple majority in both houses of Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha).
  • This means more than half of the members present and voting must approve the bill.
• Assent of the President
  • Once both houses of Parliament pass the bill, it is sent to the President for assent.
  • Upon receiving the President’s assent, the bill becomes law, and the name of the state is officially changed.
• Notification in the Official Gazette
  • The change in the state’s name is then notified in the Official Gazette of India. This marks the formal and legal change of the state’s name.

Resolution passed by the Kerala Assembly

• About
  • Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan moved a resolution stating that the state's name should be changed to "Keralam" in the Constitution to match its Malayalam name.
  • The Kerala Assembly unanimously requested the Union Government to make this change under Article 3.
  • A similar resolution was passed on August 9 last year but needed reintroduction due to technical issues.
    • The previous resolution aimed to amend the First Schedule (list of states) and inadvertently omitted a demand to amend the Eighth Schedule (list of official languages).
    • This oversight led to the reintroduction of the modified resolution.
• Why Keralam
• Kerala is the English version of the Malayalam word "Keralam," with several theories about its etymology.
• The earliest mention is in Emperor Ashoka’s Rock Edict II from 257 BCE, referring to "Keralaputra" or "son of Kerala," associated with the Chera dynasty.
• German linguist Dr. Herman Gundert noted that "keram" in Kannada corresponds to "cheram," describing the coastal land from Gokarna to Kanyakumari.
• The term "cher" in Old Tamil means to join, possibly indicating the origin of the name.
• Story of statehood
  • The demand for a united Malayalam-speaking state began in the 1920s, aiming to integrate Travancore, Cochin, and the Malabar district.
  • After independence, on July 1, 1949, Travancore and Cochin merged to form Travancore-Cochin.
  • The State Reorganisation Commission recommended creating states on linguistic bases.
  • This led to the inclusion of Malabar and Kasargod into the new state for Malayalam speakers and the exclusion of four southern taluks of Travancore, now part of Tamil Nadu.
  • Kerala was officially formed on November 1, 1956.