Kerala name change, expanding NCDC financing powers: Amit Shah scheduled to table 2 bills today

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to introduce two bills — one seeking to rename Kerala as Keralam and another expanding the financing powers of the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC) — in the Lok Sabha on Monday, amid a logjam in both Houses of Parliament. With just four days left in the ongoing monsoon session, the Opposition parties are seeking a statement from the home minister over the use of force against protesting students on July 20.Amit Shah is scheduled to introduce bills in the Lok Sabha to rename Kerala as Keralam and expand the NCDC’s powers. (ANI)The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 seeks to amend the First Schedule of the Constitution to change the name of Kerala to “Keralam”. The proposal follows a resolution passed by the Kerala assembly seeking the change. The Union Cabinet has already approved the proposal.NCDC bill proposes wider funding powersThe second bill, the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeks to expand the mandate of the NCDC. Instead of largely financing programmes through cooperative societies, according to the draft bill, the corporation will also be able to fund a wider range of organisations involved in “co-operative development”.Also read | No direction from Rajya Sabha Chair to Amit Shah to attend House: Rijiju amid Oppn uproarThe proposed changes come as the government argues that the cooperative sector has “expanded and diversified considerably” over the years. According to the statement of objects and reasons accompanying the bill, statutory bodies, state government agencies and other specialised organisations now provide infrastructure, technology, processing, marketing and financial services to cooperatives. As many of these organisations are not themselves registered as cooperative societies, the NCDC cannot finance them directly under the existing law, resulting in “procedural delays and limited uptake” as proposals have to be routed through state governments or cooperative societies.To address this, the bill allows the corporation to extend loans and grants directly not only to cooperative societies but also to “any entity engaged in co-operative development”, and, with the Centre’s approval, invest in the share capital of such entities.Also read | ‘Echo Oppn's sentiments to Amit Shah': Rajya Sabha chairman to Rijiju amid ruckus over student protest crackdownThe broader wording has prompted questions over which organisations could qualify for funding. L Viswanathan, senior partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, said the provision should not be interpreted as opening the door to all entities.“Entities must be engaged in co-operative development”“The key is that these entities must be engaged in co-operative development,” he said, adding that the board would determine eligibility based on the purpose and mandate of the organisation.Besides widening the funding net, the bill also seeks to expand the definition of foodstuffs to include additional food items notified by the Centre, removes geographical restrictions on financing industrial goods, updates obsolete statutory references, empowers the corporation to collect and share credit information with banks and other financial institutions, and grants it incidental powers to carry out its functions more effectively.Also read | Shah meets Shinde, Fadnavis over student protests and Sena caseThe bill also authorises the NCDC to acquire equity in entities engaged in cooperative development, subject to prior approval of the Centre. On concerns over safeguards, Viswanathan said the law itself places limits on how funds can be used. “The end use of the funds is specified in the law. The law provides for audits and reports to be filed by NCDC. Anything beyond that will be ultra vires,” he said, adding that any equity investment would also be subject to greater checks and balances on the end use and activities.On Sunday, the Opposition Congress intensified its demand for a statement from Shah on police excesses during the July 20 march to Parliament. Drawing a parallel with the Opposition’s demand for a response from Shah following the December 13, 2023 Parliament security breach incident, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said: “History should not be repeated.”“The entire opposition repeatedly demanded that the Union Home Minister make a statement on this (Parliament breach) incident, but no statement came from him. They remained silent even then, just as they are now silent on the brutality inflicted by the Delhi Police on the youth who were protesting last month,” he said on X.