Article 3

Why in news? The Union Cabinet on 24 February,2026 approved the Kerala government’s proposal to change the State’s name from ‘Kerala’ to ‘Keralam’, the name used in the Malayalam language.
Article 3 authorises the Parliament to decide on changing the name, area or boundaries of any state within the Indian territory.
Parliament may by law— 
(a) form a new State by separation of territory from any State or by uniting two or more States or parts of States or by uniting any territory to a part of any State; 
(b) increase the area of any State; 
(c) diminish the area of any State; 
(d) alter the boundaries of any State; 
(e) alter the name of any State.
However, Article 3 lays down two conditions in this regard: 
1.    a bill contemplating the above changes can be introduced in the Parliament only with the prior recommendation of the President; 
2.    before recommending the bill, the President has to refer the same to the state legislature concerned for expressing its views within a specified period.
Renamed Indian States and Union territories
The names of states and union territories have been changed over the years. 
1.    1950 - The United Provinces was renamed to ‘Uttar Pradesh’. It was the first state to be renamed. 
2.    1969 - Madras was renamed to ‘Tamil Nadu’. 
3.    1973 - Mysore was renamed to ‘Karnataka’. In the same year, Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands were renamed to ‘Lakshadweep’.
4.    1992 - the Union Territory of Delhi was redesignated as the National Capital Territory of Delhi by the 69th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1991.
5.    2006 - Uttaranchal was renamed as ‘Uttarakhand’. In the same year, Pondicherry was renamed26 as ‘Puducherry’. 
6.    2011 - Orissa was renamed as ‘Odisha’