Last Updated:February 24, 2026, 19:00 IST Since India gained independence in 1947, several states and Union territories have undergone name changes to better align with their cultural heritage and linguistic roots Formerly known as the United Provinces, Uttar Pradesh was the first state to change to a traditional Indian name shortly after independence in 1950. (Image: GIS portal) The Union cabinet on Tuesday officially approved a proposal from the Kerala government to rename the state as ‘Keralam’. This landmark decision, which was announced by Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, seeks to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution of India to reflect Kerala’s name as it is spoken in its native tongue. The push for this change stems from a linguistic and cultural identity dating back to the independence struggle, where there was a “strong demand for the formation of United Kerala for the people speaking Malayalam language”. Although states were formed on a linguistic basis on November 1, 1956, the First Schedule to the Constitution recorded the name as ‘Kerala’ rather than the Malayalam ‘Keralam’. …