Rajya Sabha passes bill amending First Schedule to rename Kerala as 'Keralam'

The Rajya Sabha has approved a landmark bill seeking to alter the name of the state of Kerala to 'Keralam' in the First Schedule of the Constitution of India. The legislation follows a unanimous resolution passed previously by the Kerala State Legislative Assembly urging the Central Government to update the official name across all constitutional schedules.

Under Article 3 of the Indian Constitution, Parliament possesses the exclusive power to form new states, alter state boundaries, or change the name of any existing state. The procedure requires a bill to be introduced in Parliament after receiving a presidential reference to the concerned state legislature for expressing its views within a specified period.

The name change aligns the state's official English designation with its native Malayalam pronunciation and historical nomenclature referenced in ancient texts and cultural traditions. Upon completion of parliamentary approval, the draft amendment updates the First Schedule, which enumerates the names of states and union territories along with their territorial jurisdictions.

This legislative action highlights constitutional mechanisms governing territorial and administrative renaming in India. For exam aspirants, this serves as a textbook example of Article 3 procedures, constitutional amendments, and federal power-sharing between states and the Union.