'Keralam, not Kerala...': Assembly passes resolution to change state's name

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Assembly has passed a resolution requesting the Centre to change the official name of the state from 'Kerala' to 'Keralam'. The resolution presented by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in the House was unanimously passed by all the members.

The name of the state is written as 'Kerala' in the Constitution of India. The House asked the central government to amend it and make it 'Kerala'. With the passing of the resolution presented by the Chief Minister, the name Keralam will be used in government documents. This change will be reflected in the constitution and officially written in Malayalam and English.

"The name of the state is Keralam in Malayalam. States were formed on November 1, 1956 on linguistic basis. The formation of a united Kerala state for all the Malayalam-speaking peoples was a necessity during the independence struggle. But as per the first schedule of the constitution, the name of the state is mentioned as 'Kerala'. The Assembly unanimously requests the central government to make necessary amendments under the eighth schedule of the constitution to change the official name of the state to 'Keralam' in all official languages", the CM said while presenting the resolution.