New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is in the news again – for introducing a chapter on Indira Gandhi’s Emergency, defending its naming of a Karnataka textbook, and delaying the introduction of Nazism to students by a year.KarnatakaThe council, in trouble over its newly introduced Class 6 Kannada textbook, has meanwhile, attempted to reject allegations that the naming of the book promotes a particular religious or cultural ideology.The naming of the book ‘Krishna’ had prompted concerns in Karnataka, where many complained that it reflected a religious bias. NCERT, in a statement, has claimed that its rationale was to name the language textbooks after major rivers.Krishna is one of Karnataka’s major rivers.The NCERT says:With regard to the title of the textbook, it is to be stated that NCERT has named its language textbooks, including R3 language textbooks, after rivers of India. The title of the book “Krishna” is after the Krishna River, which is one of the major rivers of Karnataka. It is to be noted that the Hindi textbook has been named as “Ganga”, the English textbook has been named as “Kaveri”, and the Urdu textbook has been named as “Jamuna” (Yamuna). Similarly, the Kannada textbook has been named as “Krishna”. This approach is appropriate from a localised and cultural perspective, particularly in view of the emphasis laid in NEP 2020 and NCF-SE 2023 on rootedness, cultural connect, and meaningful contexts for learners.The NCERT also addressed criticism from various quarters over its depiction of a “balanced diet” in the textbook.The chapter 6, ‘Health is Wealth’, of the textbook has an illustration of what a balanced diet is supposed to look like. Critics noted how the depiction appears to promote vegetarianism – as the most prominent foods in the illustration are staples, fruits and vegetables.The NCERT has claimed that, “the illustrative image given on page 63 includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items.”It has added, “Nowhere in the textbook is vegetarianism explained or justified, nor is non-vegetarian food opposed. The purpose of the chapter is to create awareness about healthy food items.”However, elsewhere on the same statement, the NCERT notes that “the text explains that our body needs balanced foods such as milk, green leafy vegetables, vegetables, fruits and other food items, and that these should be part of our daily diet,” making no mention of non-vegetarian items.EmergencyTo the delight of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, the NCERT has introduced a section on the 1975 Emergency in the Class 9 textbook. Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, for whose resignation there has been a growing clamour after the botched up marking of CBSE papers and the paper leaks in the NEET-UG exam, has hailed the move.Reports have it that the chapter comes in the new textbook, Understanding Society: India and Beyond. It describes the Emergency as “one of the major challenges” faced by Indian democracy.An NCERT official has said that this is the first time a section on the Emergency has been included in a Class 9 textbook.Delaying NazismTimes of India further reports that Nazism, the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution will no longer be a part of the Class 9 history syllabus.These will be included a whole year later, in Class 10.Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Part 1, the new textbook, has been described in the report as one, marking one of the “sharpest curricular shifts at the secondary stage.”The Class 9 books will be introduced in 2026-27, but the Class 10 books will follow only in 2027-28.