Thiruvananthapuram: The Left government in Kerala on Tuesday passed the Nativity Card Bill in the State Assembly, despite the Congress-led opposition staging a protest and walking out of the house. According to the government, the proposed law would enable people from the state to proudly declare themselves Keralites through the issuance of a nativity card.

Finance Minister KN Balagopal termed the passing of the Nativity Card Bill a “historic moment” for Kerala, stating that the legislation aims to protect minority communities.

He contended that if the Congress-led UDF were sincere about such issues, they would have participated in the House proceedings.

“But they did not want to see this Bill passed. They wanted to create a controversy. They took the same stand with regard to the financial business of the House,” he alleged.

Along with the Nativity Card Bill, 2026, the House also passed the Abkari (Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Kerala Advocates’ Clerks Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and the Kerala Advocates’ Welfare Fund (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

The Bills, whose subject committee reports were to be tabled as per the list of business, were also taken up for consideration. Changes proposed by some legislators were accepted, and the Bills were passed without discussion.

The Nativity Card Bill was introduced in the House on Monday in the absence of UDF members, who had boycotted the proceedings over the Sabarimala gold loss case.

What is Nativity Card Bill?
In December 2025, the State Cabinet had given in-principle approval for the introduction of a permanent, photo-embedded Nativity Card with the objective of ensuring that no individual has to struggle to prove their identity or place of residence in the state.

The Bill, granting legal validity to the scheme announced in December last year, was cleared during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week.

Introducing the Bill in the Assembly on Monday, Revenue Minister K Rajan said the legislation comes in the backdrop of the Centre implementing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act “unilaterally”.

Once the Nativity Card is issued, a Keralite, irrespective of their present location, can declare themselves a Malayali with self-pride, he said.

While announcing the introduction of the Nativity Card, the government had clarified that it would be issued on the lines of the existing nativity certificate, which certifies that a person hails from Kerala.

A native of Kerala would include those born in the state or those with at least one ancestor born in Kerala, provided they have not acquired foreign citizenship, the government said. Those born outside the state while their parents were employed elsewhere would also be considered natives.

Last month, the Chief Minister said the initiative was intended to ensure that no individual has to struggle to prove their identity or place of residence in the state.

The announcement of the card in December drew sharp criticism from the BJP, which termed it an example of “dangerous separatist politics”.