The Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act, 2011

Summary of the Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act, 2011
Key Provisions
1. Name Alteration: - From: State of Orissa
• To: State of Odisha
• Effective From: The appointed day (1st November, 2011)
2. Constitutional Amendments: - Article 164(1): "Orissa" substituted with "Odisha"
• Article 273(1): "Orissa" substituted with "Odisha"
• First Schedule to the Constitution: Entry for "Orissa" updated to "Odisha"
• Fourth Schedule to the Constitution: Entry for "Orissa" updated to "Odisha"
3. Administrative and Legal Adjustments: - Power to Adapt Laws: The appropriate Government can adapt or modify laws to reflect the name change within one year from the appointed day.
• Power to Construe Laws: Courts, tribunals, or authorities can construe laws to give effect to the name change if no provision or insufficient provision has been made.
• Legal Proceedings: The State of Odisha shall be deemed substituted for the State of Orissa in pending legal proceedings.

Legislative History:

The Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act, 2011

Short Title The Orissa (Alteration of Name) Act, 2011

Act Number / Year Act No. 15 of 2011

Act ID (India Code) 201115

Presidential Assent Date September 23, 2011

Enforcement Date November 1, 2011

Nodal Ministry Ministry of Home Affairs

Precedent & Statutory Rationale

1. Alignment with Phonetic and Cultural Identity:

o For decades, civil society organizations, cultural bodies, and the public advocated for reverting the colonial-era, Anglicized spellings "Orissa" and "Oriya" to their authentic local forms—"Odisha" and "Odia"—which accurately reflect the native pronunciation and linguistic heritage of the region.

2. Constitutional Process under Article 3:

o Pursuant to Article 3 of the Constitution of India, which empowers Parliament to alter the name of any State, the Odisha Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a formal resolution on August 28, 2008, requesting the change, which was subsequently forwarded to the Union Government for statutory enactment.

Parliamentary Trajectory & Enactment

• Formulation: Developed and piloted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to give legal effect to the resolution passed by the Odisha State Legislature.

• Parliamentary Passage: Introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 2010, passed by the Lok Sabha in November 2010, passed by the Rajya Sabha in March 2011, and finally cleared across both houses in September 2011.

• Presidential Assent: Received formal Presidential Assent on September 23, 2011, entering the statute book as Act No. 15 of 2011.

• Enforcement: Enforced on November 1, 2011.

• Source: India Code and Ministry of Home Affairs Official Records