Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (Img-Internet)
New Delhi: For the first time, class 9 students studying NCERT's social science curriculum will learn about the Internal Emergency of 1975-77 through a dedicated section that describes the period as one of the major challenges faced by Indian democracy.
Under the revised NCERT curriculum, Class 9 students will now study the Emergency as part of a chapter on democracy in the newly released Social Science textbook, "Understanding Society: India and Beyond". The section discusses the suspension of Fundamental Rights, censorship of the press, arrest of opposition leaders and the impact of the Emergency on the democratic institutions.
According to the chapter, Public dissatisfaction with the Government in the early 1970s, rising unemployment, inflation and allegations of misgovernance led to widespread protests across the country. It notes that a National Emergency was declared on June 25,1975 on the grounds of " internal disturbance".
The Chapter also highlights the role played by Jayaprakash Narayan in mobilising opposition to Emergency. Describing him as a political leader and socialist thinker popularly known as "Lok Nayak", the textbook notes that mass movements led by him mobilised students and citizens, particularly in Bihar and Gujarat.
Alongside the Emergency, students are introduced to issues such as misinformation, fake news, poverty, regionalism, social discrimination, gender inequality, damage to public property and violation of public rules. The Textbook devotes space to the role of media in democracy, describing it as the "fourth piler of democracy".
The inclusion marks the first time the Emergency has been introduced as dedicated section in a Class 9 NCERT textbook. It is part of the latest round of textbook revisions being rolled out under the NCF(national curriculum Framework)and National Education Policy 2020.
Speaking on this, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, "NCERT has done the right thing. Future generations should know and understand the dark deeds of the Emergency so that such a situation does not arise again. That is why NCERT brought it to forefront. NCERT did a good job".
