Thiruvananthapuram
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has rejected the Kerala Government’s request to reconsider the recent proposal by an NCERT panel to replace ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in school textbooks. Pradhan, responding to Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty, highlighted that the Constitution recognizes both names. The NCERT-appointed Sociology Committee, suggesting the change in social science textbooks, clarified that it views ‘India’ and ‘Bharat’ interchangeably, without favoring one over the other. Article 1 of the Indian Constitution states, India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.
In a letter to Sivankutty, Pradhan emphasized the Constitution’s acknowledgment of both names and the NCERT’s alignment with this spirit. Sivankutty had earlier written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pradhan, urging them to maintain the existing practice for the benefit of the educational system and national unity rooted in cultural diversity.
Sivankutty emphasized the historical continuity of learning about the country’s past under the name ‘India.’ Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan firmly rejected the NCERT panel’s recommendation, linking it to recent exclusions in textbooks and stating it as a political move. Vijayan urged citizens to unite in preserving India’s essence amidst concerns of disruption and confusion caused by altering the country’s nomenclature in educational materials.
