Malayalam to Become Official Language of Kerala as Governor Grants Assent to Bill

Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam will now be the official language of Kerala, following the assent of Governor Rajendra Arlekar to the Malayalam Official Language Bill. With the Governor’s approval, the legislation is set to come into force shortly.

The new law seeks to replace the Kerala Official Language Act with a more comprehensive framework to strengthen the use of Malayalam across administrative, educational and institutional sectors. It will be implemented in all semi-government, public sector and cooperative institutions in the state.

Key Provisions of the Bill includes that Malayalam will be made compulsory from Classes 1 to 10, Malayalam will be included as a compulsory paper in university curricula, government orders and court proceedings will be translated into Malayalam, PSC examinations will be translated into Malayalam, and reservation in professional courses will be provided for students who have pursued Malayalam as their medium of instruction.

The move aims to promote wider use of Malayalam in governance, education and public administration.

The bill has had a long legislative journey. Though initially introduced during the tenure of UDF, it was not passed at the time. The present state government later revised the draft following extensive discussions before submitting it for the Governor’s approval.

Cultural leaders had earlier petitioned the Prime Minister seeking support for the legislation. With the Governor’s assent now secured, the state is preparing to implement the law in the coming months.