How much money does it cost to change the name of a state? Rivers of money will flow to make Kerala Keralam

On 24 February 2026, the Union Cabinet took a historic decision and approved the proposal to change the name of Kerala state to ‘Keralaam’. This proposal was passed unanimously by the Kerala Assembly in June 2024, demanding that the name of the state be changed to ‘Kerala’ instead of ‘Kerala’ in the First Schedule of the Constitution.

The state is called ‘Keralaam’ in Malayalam language and this change is an attempt to strengthen the linguistic identity. The state was formed on 1 November 1956 on linguistic basis and Kerala Piravi Day is also celebrated on this day. The Central Government has approved the ‘Kerala (Change of Name) Bill, 2026’. Now the President will send this bill to the Kerala Assembly so that their opinion can be taken under the proviso of Article 3. Amidst all this, a question is arising in people’s minds that how much money will be spent in this entire process?

What does the expense involve?
Changing name in India is not just a paper process but a big administrative and financial task. According to estimates, changing the name of a state or a big city may cost Rs 200 crore to Rs 500 crore or more. In some reports, estimates ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 1000 crore have been made. The main reasons for expenditure are:

Changing signboards of roads, highways and government buildings.
Updating boards at railway stations, airports, bus stands.
Changing name in government documents, stationery, passport, Aadhaar, voter ID, license etc.
Updating maps, GPS, Google maps, government websites and databases.
Changes in international branding and embassies.

History has been a witness
Uttar Pradesh government has to spend more than Rs 300 crore to convert Allahabad into Prayagraj. This estimate came from sources in the finance department of the government. Similarly, changing the name in big cities can cost up to Rs 1000 crore. In the case of Kerala, the change is only of one letter in the English spelling (from ‘a’ to ‘am’), whereas in Malayalam it is already ‘Keralaam’. Therefore the cost could be less – perhaps in dozens of crores. There will be more digital updates and less physical signboards will have to be changed. But still the state government will have to allocate a bigger budget. In previous instances, the Railways had spent Rs 2.5 crores only on signboards to convert Bombay into Mumbai. Crores of rupees were also spent on changes like Gurugram (Gurgaon), Bengaluru (Bangalore). If the name of the entire country is to be changed from Bharat to Bharat, then the estimate can reach Rs 14,000 crore.