Why in news?

• The Kerala Assembly has passed a resolution urging the Centre to rename the state as “Keralam” in the Constitution and all office records.

What is the process to rename a state?

Constitutional provision

• The Parliament has the power to change the name of a state.
• The Constitution of India gives the parliament power to alter the name of a state under Article 3.
  • Article 3 of the Constitution explicitly lays down a procedure to alter the area, boundaries, or name of a state.

Proposal

• The process of renaming of a state can be initiated by either the Parliament or the state assembly.
  • The state legislature sends a proposal in the form of a resolution to the Central government.
• In Parliament, the bill cannot be presented without a recommendation from the President.

Procedure

• States which are going to get affected by such changes, the legislature of that state must be presented with the bill.
  • The provision to send a bill to the state legislature was not in the original Constitution.
  • This process was added in the 5th Amendment Act, 1955.
• The State Legislature may present its views on the bill within the prescribed time period.
• The views or suggestions of the State Legislature are not enforceable against the President or the Parliament.
  • If Parliament wants, it can dismiss the opinion of the state legislature.
• After receiving the suggestions of the State Legislative Assembly or after the expiration of the limited time period the bill goes back to the Parliament.
• Then the bill gets further deliberated upon in the Parliament.

Passing of the bill

• The bill is sent to the President for approval. After the said bill gets approved, it becomes a law and the name of the state stands modified.

Other institutions involved in the process

• No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from several agencies such as the Ministry of Railways, Intelligence Bureau, Department of Posts, Survey of India and Registrar General of India are required.
• Once the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) receives the NOC from these institutions, it gives its consent to the resolution passed by the state.

Name Origins:

• The term “Kerala” finds its historical roots in Emperor Ashoka’s Rock Edict II from 257 BC, where the local ruler is referred to as “Keralaputra“
• On the other hand, “Keralam” is believed by scholars to have derived from “Cheram,” a perspective proposed by Dr. Herman Gundert.
• Dr. Gundert pointed to the Kannada term “keram” which is akin to “cheram” suggesting the region between Gokarnam and Kanyakumari.

Demand for Unified Kerala:

• Emerging during the 1920s, the Aikya Kerala movement was a fervent call for the integration of Malabar, Kochi, and Travancore into a single administrative entity.
• The movement gained momentum due to the shared Malayalam language, cultural traditions, and historical bonds that unified the Malayalam-speaking populace.

Kerala’s Modern Formation

The modern state of Kerala was established along linguistic lines in 1956, a significant juncture that witnessed the inclusion of the Malabar Coast and the Kasargod taluka (administrative subdivision) from South Kanara into the newly evolving Travancore-Cochin entity. In this transformative phase, the southern sector of the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin state became an integral part of Tamil Nadu.

FAQs about Renaming a State in India

Read also:- Hate Speech: ‘The Kerala Story’ Contains In Multiple Scenes

Kerala Assembly Approves Resolution to Rename State as ‘Keralam’,Kerala Assembly Approves Resolution to Rename State as ‘Keralam’,Kerala Assembly Approves Resolution to Rename State as ‘Keralam’