Lok Sabha passes bill seeking to change name of state of Kerala to Keralam
New Delhi, August 11
The Lok Sabha has passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026. The Bill seeks to change the name of the state of Kerala to Keralam in the First Schedule of the Constitution. A resolution in this regard was passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly in June 2024.
Speaking on the bill, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, the Kerala Legislative Assembly had passed a resolution in 2024, requesting the Centre to change the name of the State from Kerala to Keralam. He said, the request in this regard was made because the name of the State in Malayalam is Keralam, while in the Constitution, it is written as Kerala. The Minister said that the Union Cabinet in February this year approved the proposal to change the name of the state to Keralam and to introduce the necessary legislation for amendment in this regard. Mr Rai also accused the Congress MPs from Kerala of not supporting the bill, adding that the Congress should clarify whether it has any objection to changing the name of the State from Kerala to Keralam.
The Lok Sabha has also passed the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026. Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol moved the bill, which aims to further amend the National Co-operative Development Corporation Act, 1962. The Bill allows the Corporation to undertake its activities in industrial goods. The legislation also allows the state governments to extend funding from the Corporation to any entity engaged in co-operative development. The Corporation can also provide loans and grants directly to any co-operative society or entity engaged in co-operative development.
Speaking on the bill, Mr Mohol said that the National Cooperative Development Corporation, NCDC, was established to provide financial assistance for the organised and sustained development of the cooperative sector in the country. He informed that initially, the activities of NCDC were largely confined to production, processing and related services through cooperative societies. However, over the years, its role has expanded to include planning and implementation of schemes related to processing, marketing, storage, export and import. The Minister said that in recent years, NCDC has also been playing an active role in cooperative development in areas such as infrastructure, technology and financial services, in association with state government agencies and other institutions.
Mr Mohol said that keeping in view the changing requirements and the expansion of the cooperative sector, it has become necessary to widen the scope of NCDC’s functions. The Minister said that from the establishment of NCDC in 1963 until 2014, the previous government provided financial assistance of only around 45 thousand crore rupees. He, however, said, in the last 11 years since 2014, financial assistance has increased to around four lakh crore rupees.
Both the Bills were passed without discussion amid opposition uproar. After completing the business, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day to meet again at 11:00 AM tomorrow.