Lok Sabha passes Keralam renaming, co-op Bills amid Opposition uproar
The Lok Sabha passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026, which proposes to change the official name of the state of Kerala to "Keralam."
The Lok Sabha also passed the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which expands the mandate and lending powers of the NCDC.
Both bills were passed by voice vote without debate, amid continued protests by Opposition members inside the House over unrelated issues.
The renaming proposal originated from a resolution passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly seeking the name change, which was subsequently approved by the Union Cabinet before the bill's introduction in Parliament.
Several other bills remained pending before Parliament as the Monsoon Session continued.
Article 3 — Parliament's Power to Alter a State's Name
Article 3 of the Constitution empowers Parliament to form new states and to alter the area, boundaries, or name of an existing state by ordinary law. A bill under Article 3 can only be introduced in either House of Parliament on the recommendation of the President, and if it affects the area, boundaries or name of a state, the President must refer it to that state's legislature for its views within a specified period — but those views are not binding on Parliament.
Key Details
- Article 3 covers: (a) formation of new states, (b) increase/decrease in area of a state, (c) alteration of boundaries, (d) alteration of the name of a state
- Prior Presidential recommendation is mandatory before introduction of such a bill in either House
- The state legislature's views (where the bill affects that state) must be sought but are advisory, not binding — Parliament can proceed regardless of the state's response
- Passage requires only a simple majority, as with any ordinary law
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill followed this exact sequence — a state assembly resolution seeking the change, Union Cabinet approval, and then introduction and passage in Parliament as an ordinary bill under Article 3.
Article 4 — Why Renaming a State Is Not a Constitutional Amendment
Article 4(2) explicitly provides that a law made under Article 3 (including one altering a state's name) shall not be deemed to be an amendment of the Constitution for the purposes of Article 368, even though it necessarily changes entries in the First Schedule (which lists the states and their territories). This is what allows state renaming to proceed as ordinary legislation rather than through the special/entrenched amendment procedure.
Key Details
- Article 4(1) allows a law under Article 3 to contain incidental and consequential provisions necessary to amend the First Schedule (list of states/UTs) and Fourth Schedule (Rajya Sabha seat allocation)
- Because Article 4(2) excludes such laws from Article 368, they need only a simple majority in both Houses, not the special majority required for constitutional amendments
- This distinguishes state renaming from amendments to provisions with "federal" character (like Article 368's proviso subjects), which do require state ratification
This is why the Kerala renaming bill could be passed by voice vote in a single sitting without any special majority procedure, unlike constitutional amendments affecting the federal structure.
Precedents of State Renaming in India
State renaming has been used periodically since independence, generally to better reflect linguistic or cultural identity in the state's official English name.
Key Details
- United Provinces renamed Uttar Pradesh (1950)
- Madhya Bharat merged into Madhya Pradesh (1956 reorganisation)
- Bombay State bifurcated into Maharashtra and Gujarat (1960)
- Madras State renamed Tamil Nadu (1969)
- Mysore State renamed Karnataka (1973)
- Uttaranchal renamed Uttarakhand (2007)
- Orissa renamed Odisha, and the language "Oriya" renamed "Odia" (2011, via a dedicated constitutional/statutory amendment for the language name)
- Bombay city was administratively renamed Mumbai in 1995 (a municipal/city-level change, separate from the state-renaming process under Article 3)
The Kerala-to-Keralam change follows this established constitutional pathway, joining a list of at least six prior instances of full state renaming since 1950.
National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill and Cooperative Federalism
The National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC) was established under the National Co-operative Development Corporation Act, 1962 as a statutory corporation to plan, promote and finance programmes for the cooperative sector, historically channelling funds only through cooperative societies. The 2026 Amendment Bill broadens this mandate to allow financing "for cooperative development" more generally.
Key Details
- NCDC Act, 1962 established the Corporation, functioning through a General Council, a Board of Management, and a Managing Director, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Cooperation
- The 2026 Amendment expands NCDC's mandate from financing "through cooperative societies" to financing "for cooperative development," permitting direct loans and grants to cooperative societies or other entities engaged in cooperative development
- It introduces power for NCDC to take equity/share capital participation in cooperative societies with central government approval, and adds a new Section 9A granting incidental powers
- It also empowers NCDC to share credit information with the Reserve Bank of India and other notified financial institutions
The amendment reflects the broader push under the standalone Ministry of Cooperation (created 2021) to strengthen the "sahakar se samriddhi" cooperative-sector financing architecture, paralleling other recent reforms like the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Act, 2023.
Cooperative Societies and the 97th Constitutional Amendment
The cooperative sector also has a specific constitutional dimension relevant to federal division of powers: the 97th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2011 inserted Article 43B (a Directive Principle promoting cooperative societies) and Part IX-B (Articles 243ZH–243ZT) governing the incorporation, regulation, and winding up of cooperative societies. In Union of India v. Rajendra N. Shah (2021), the Supreme Court held that the Part IX-B provisions applicable to state-level cooperative societies were unconstitutional for want of ratification by at least half the state legislatures under the proviso to Article 368(2), since cooperative societies fall under the State List (Entry 32, List II), but upheld the provisions insofar as they applied to multi-state cooperative societies.
Key Details
- Article 43B (DPSP): State to promote voluntary formation, autonomous functioning, democratic control and professional management of cooperative societies
- Part IX-B struck down for state-level cooperative societies in Union of India v. Rajendra N. Shah (2021) for lack of state ratification; upheld for multi-state cooperative societies (a Union List/concurrent-type subject)
- "Cooperative Societies" is Entry 32 of the State List (List II, Seventh Schedule)
NCDC's expanded mandate under the 2026 Amendment operates within this federal boundary — it can lend more flexibly to cooperatives but does not alter the constitutional position that primary regulation of state-level cooperative societies remains a state subject.
- Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026: passed in Lok Sabha by voice vote, without debate, on 11 August 2026
- Kerala Legislative Assembly resolution seeking the renaming: passed earlier; Union Cabinet approval preceded the bill's introduction
- Constitutional basis: Article 3 (power to alter a state's name), Article 4(2) (excludes such laws from the Article 368 amendment procedure)
- At least six full state renamings since 1950: UP (1950), Maharashtra/Gujarat split (1960), Tamil Nadu (1969), Karnataka (1973), Uttarakhand (2007), Odisha (2011)
- NCDC established under the National Co-operative Development Corporation Act, 1962
- 97th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2011: inserted Article 43B and Part IX-B; Part IX-B (state-level cooperatives) struck down in Union of India v. Rajendra N. Shah (2021) for lack of state ratification
- "Cooperative Societies" — State List, Entry 32, Seventh Schedule