The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 by voice vote amid continuous sloganeering by Opposition members.
The National Co-operative Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill was introduced by Minister of State for Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol on behalf of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.
The Bill seeks to amend the National Co-operative Development Corporation Act, 1962, with the objective of making funding for co-operative societies faster and more flexible.
It also seeks to expand the role of the National Co-operative Development Corporation (NCDC), a statutory body under the Ministry of Cooperation, in financing and promoting co-operative societies across the country.
The Bill was passed amid protests by Opposition members demanding the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah and a statement on the police action during the July 20 protest by students at Jantar Mantar.
Krishna Prasad Tenneti, who was in the Chair, repeatedly urged members to maintain decorum and allow the House to function smoothly. However, the protests continued.
The Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 was also passed by voice vote amid the protests.
The Bill seeks to alter the name of the State of Kerala to ‘Keralam’. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai moved the Bill in the House.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Nityanand Rai criticised the Opposition for not participating in the discussion on the legislation.
As the sloganeering continued, the Bill was passed without discussion.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had approved the proposal to alter the name of Kerala to Keralam earlier this year.
The Kerala Legislative Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on June 24, 2024, urging the Centre to take steps under Article 3 of the Constitution to change the name of the State from Kerala to Keralam.
The resolution stated that while the State is known as Keralam in Malayalam, its name is recorded as Kerala in the First Schedule of the Constitution.
The Kerala Government subsequently requested the Centre to initiate the constitutional process for altering the name.
Following the passage of the two Bills, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day.
-IANS
