Article 3 of the Constitution provides for the formation of new States and the alteration of areas, boundaries, or names of existing States.

  • The proposal to rename Kerala to Keralam has been initiated by the union government.

How can a state be renamed?

  • The bill for renaming under Article 3 of the Constitution can be initiated only on the recommendation of the President of India.
  • The bill can be introduced in either House of Parliament.
  • The President has to refer the bill to the concerned state legislature for their opinion.
  • The name of the Union territory cannot be changed based on the above article.

Similar Situations

  • Recently call for changing the name of West Bengal has also been considered.
  • Earlier names of metros like Bombay were changed to Mumbai; Madras was changed to Chennai, and Calcutta to Kolkata.
  • Names are changed to erase the colonial legacy and reaffirm the cultural legacy of the area.
What more needs to be looked for?

  • Article 3 provides for the formation of new States. From the exam point of view, aspirants are required to understand the procedure. Please go through the above provisions.

Fun Fact

  • When the names of Madras and Bombay were changed to Chennai and Mumbai, the names of IIT’s their was not changed from IIT Madras/IIT Bombay to the new names. Can you guess why?

 

Source: The Hindu

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