Lok Sabha passes bill seeking to change name of state of Kerala to Keralam
Aug 11, 2026
The Lok Sabha has passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, seeking to change the name of the state from Kerala to Keralam in the First Schedule of the Constitution.
The Bill follows a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in June 2024, requesting the Centre to change the state's name. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said the request was made because the state is known as “Keralam” in Malayalam, while the Constitution refers to it as “Kerala”.
Rai said the Union Cabinet approved the proposal in February this year and cleared the introduction of legislation to amend the name. He also criticised Congress MPs from Kerala for not supporting the Bill and asked the party to clarify whether it had any objection to the proposed name change.
The Lok Sabha also passed the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, aimed at expanding the scope of activities and financial assistance provided by the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC).
Moving the Bill, Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol said the legislation would enable the NCDC to undertake activities related to industrial goods. It would also allow state governments to extend NCDC funding to entities engaged in cooperative development.
Under the amended provisions, the NCDC would be able to provide loans and grants directly to cooperative societies and other entities involved in cooperative development.
Mohol said the NCDC, established in 1963, was initially focused mainly on production, processing and related services through cooperative societies. Over the years, its role expanded to include schemes related to processing, marketing, storage, exports and imports, as well as infrastructure, technology and financial services.
He said the expansion of the cooperative sector and changing requirements had made it necessary to widen the scope of the NCDC's functions.
According to Mohol, the previous government provided around ₹45,000 crore in financial assistance through the NCDC between 1963 and 2014. In contrast, the assistance has risen to around ₹4 lakh crore in the 11 years since 2014.
