Year-long transition from Kerala to Keralam | Thiruvananthapuram News
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is now officially Keralam. The change will not affect citizens, but govt will undertake a year-long exercise to replace the old name in official records, communications, signboards, websites and the names of boards, corporations and commissions.The change came into force on Aug 25 following a ministry of home affairs notification, making “Keralam” the state’s constitutional name. The state will celebrate its 70th Kerala Piravi on Nov 1, 2026, as Keralam.The exercise is aimed at bringing the state’s official constitutional identity in line with the Malayalam name commonly used by people. Former chief secretary V Venu, during whose tenure the proposal originated, said the change should be viewed as one in the state’s identity.“There could be some initial difficulties in usage and in getting familiar with the new name. Considering the grammatical rules of Malayalam, there may still be instances where ‘Kerala’ has to be used, such as in ‘Kerala Sarkar’. This is because of the grammatical rules involved when two words are joined in Malayalam. The exercise of changing the name should be carried out as early as possible and with utmost care,” he said.The Act replaces “Kerala” with “Keralam” in the Constitution’s First Schedule, which lists the states, and the Fourth Schedule, which deals with Rajya Sabha seat allocation. It also makes the change in Articles 31A and 290A, dealing with property rights exemptions and specific financial obligations, respectively.The change will extend to departments, public sector undertakings, statutory bodies, welfare boards and commissions, involving many official references. Govt orders, letterheads, seals, forms, certificates, websites, mobile applications, portals, email signatures and signboards will also have to be updated.The transition will be phased. Sources said a detailed circular was under preparation and awaiting the chief minister’s clearance, with instructions to keep expenditure to a minimum and avoid wastage. Existing letterheads, stamps and other stationery will be used after making handwritten corrections. Future printing will carry “Keralam”, while existing signboards can be corrected where feasible and new ones will carry the new name.Existing laws can also be handled without amending each one separately. “A notification would suffice to say that henceforth, wherever ‘Kerala’ occurs in Acts and other statutes already in existence or passed subsequently, it shall be read as ‘Keralam’,” said a senior General Administration Department official.References will nevertheless have to be made consistent across manuals, notifications, agreements, tenders, reports and correspondence with the Centre. Local bodies and state-controlled institutions will also receive instructions in this regard.For citizens, there is no need to replace existing valid documents carrying “Kerala”. New documents will gradually carry “Keralam”. Contracts, licences, permits and agreements will remain valid, and the change will not affect land ownership, taxes, welfare schemes, reservations, employment rights or access to public services.Private companies and brands using Kerala in their names will not be required to rename themselves. The transition may cause some temporary confusion as old and new references coexist, with explanatory references used where necessary.
