‘Open to error correction': NCERT forms panel amid row over Class 8 map of Maratha Empire
In a statement issued on Thursday, NCERT said: 'At present, NCERT has received feedback about the educational content in a few textbooks. Hence a committee is being constituted having senior experts, as per its established practice. This committee will examine the feedback in light of the available evidences and submit its report at the earliest possible.'
Although the statement makes no direct reference to the recent controversy, it comes after Chaitanya Raj Singh of the erstwhile princely state of Jaisalmer said in a post on X on Monday that the map on the extent of the Maratha empire in the class 8 social science textbook 'depicts Jaisalmer as a part of the then Maratha Empire, which is historically misleading, factually baseless, and deeply objectionable.'
He wrote that there are 'no authentic historical sources' that mention 'any Maratha dominance, invasion, taxation, or authority' over Jaisalmer.
The NCERT said in its statement on Thursday: 'It is a well-established practice at NCERT that whenever substantial feedback or suggestions are received regarding the content or pedagogy of a textbook in a particular subject, a committee is constituted. This committee comprises high-level domain experts from reputed institutions and faculty members from the relevant subject area, with the convenorship of the Head of the Curriculum Department. The committee carefully deliberates on the matter, makes evidence-based decisions regarding the content or pedagogy, and recommends appropriate actions accordingly at the earliest.'
New textbooks in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCFSE) 2023, are being developed by the NCERT. New books for classes 1 to 8 have been released so far. The latest ones for class 8 were released last month.
Responding to the map on the Maratha empire and objection to it, Michel Danino, chairperson of the NCERT's curricular area group for the new social science textbooks, said in a note on Wednesday that 'further research is on to confirm that our map's boundaries are incorrect'.
'If they are, a revised map will be prepared based on the best information available, and submitted for future editions of the textbook,' he wrote, adding: 'We are fully open to error correction.'
He wrote that the chapter was prepared in consultation with two experts on the Maratha period, and nowhere in the chapter (including the map) is Jaisalmer mentioned.
Danino added that the map was drawn on the basis of maps published earlier, and 'to the best of our knowledge, no objection was raised against such maps, which have long been in the public domain.'
He added that the maps include not only areas directly under Maratha control, but also states paying tributes/taxes, or at times under some agreement with the Marathas.
'While such maps freeze territories at one point in time, the actual context was of course much more complex, fluid, and fast evolving. A single map cannot encapsulate the whole story of the Maratha empire,' he wrote.
Pointing to the 'tight timeline' given for the preparation of new textbooks, he wrote it hardly allows for original research in every relevant primary source, and contributors sometimes need to depend on secondary sources that are considered authentic and scholarly.
While the new class 7 textbook contains a caveat that the borders on a map are approximate, this was not included in the class 8 book, and Danino wrote in his note that the team should have used the same caveat for all historical maps in this book as well.
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
School entry age to remain 5 years, says TN education secretary B Chandra Mohan; SEP aims for future ready, inclusive learning
Tamil Nadu's school education policy prioritizes future-readiness through a two-language approach, conceptual clarity, and life skills. The entry age remains at five, and the existing 10+2 system continues. School entry age will continue to be five years, says school education secretary B Chandra Mohan . In an interview to TOI on Saturday, a day after the release of the state education policy (SEP) for school education, he discusses the objectives of the policy, how the govt plans to achieve them, and addresses criticism that the SEP is similar to the national education policy (NEP). Edited excerpts: ■ What is the objective of the state education policy? You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai To build an inclusive, equitable, resilient, and future-ready school education system in Tamil Nadu. Technology is changing, requirements are changing, and the socioeconomic profile of the state is changing. Artificial intelligence is going to change everything as we know it. We have to prepare children for the future, though we may not anticipate everything that will happen. Making our children future-ready is the focus of the SEP and the vision behind it. ■ How do you plan to achieve it? Many ways. The two-language policy will connect us to our culture, roots and identity, giving us a context to who we are, where we come from and what we want to achieve. It helps us understand the societal context and lived reality of our people. English proficiency will help us connect to and navigate the world, opening doors of opportunity and progress. Focus on conceptual clarity, contextual application of concepts, scientific temper, experiential learning, problem solving and working with diverse teams are skills that will help. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo Physical education for fitness and health. Life skills will help sharpen students' minds and prepare them to face real-life challenges with confidence and adaptability. ■ Educationists say the SEP doesn't have broader ideas related to school education. Access to schools was the primary concern of govts for the last many years. Now, the focus is on quality and transformational education. ■ There's criticism that the SEP appears to be similar to NEP except for a few provisions. In the educational discourse anywhere in the world, classifications such as primary, upper primary, secondary, and higher secondary are standard. 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We will ensure that the learning and activity are so designed that children learn, play, and grow together with mutual respect and work as a team based on diversity. We will also ensure gender-sensitive, child-friendly infrastructure in the schools. We also want to improve the mental health and emotional well-being of students. ■ Some also criticise that the existing schemes are given as solutions to future problems. How do you respond to this? A new policy does not mean that it negates everything that was done in the past. A good policy builds on what was done in the past, learns lessons, and reimagines them for the future. That is what this policy is designed to do. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Scroll.in
14 hours ago
- Scroll.in
The Indian raja who gave away his powers to the praja
On August 11, 1940, Mahatma Gandhi wrote a short article in his weekly magazine Harijan, beginning it with high praise: 'Who does not know little Aundh? Little it is in size and income, but it has made itself great and famous by its Chief having bestowed, unasked, the boon of full self-government on his people.' Gandhi was referring to a remarkable decision by the Raja of the princely state of Aundh. In November 1938, the ruler, Bhawanrao Shrinivasrao Pant Pratinidhi – popularly known as Balasaheb Pant Pratinidhi – had granted 'full self-government to his subjects'. To implement this change, a state constitution for Aundh was drafted by Gandhi, Balasaheb's son Appasaheb Pant, and a mystic-engineer of Polish-Jewish origins, Maurice Frydman. It was enacted on January 14, 1939. Despite its size – it was about four pages long – the constitution was a deeply progressive document. It guaranteed people of Aundh freedoms of speech, press, assembly and worship besides promising them non-discrimination and universal and free primary education. Most importantly, it decentralised power. The state constitution established village democracy – a cause dear to Gandhi's heart – with a tiered governance system. It included five-member village panchayats, taluka panchayats, and an assembly made up of panchayat presidents, elected representatives and five nominees of the ruler. Gandhi admired this change, writing in Harijan magazine: 'This small State has always been progressive. The Ruler of Aundh has but anticipated the wants of his people and has even been in advance of them in social matters. The declaration of full responsibility was the natural result of the past acts of the Ruler.' Dramatic accession Balasaheb's accession in 1910 was unexpected. Aundh, a small state formed from the remnants of the Maratha kingdom, had come under British control in 1849 after the Peshwa's defeat. By the early 20th century, it was fragmented, with villages in Satara and Bijapur scattered among British-administered lands. In 1907, Balasaheb's uncle and then-ruler Gopalkrishnarao Parashuram (Nanasaheb) was implicated in a conspiracy to assassinate the British-appointed kharbari (prime minister), Jacob Bapuji. Two associates of the ruler and a prison warden were also accused. To add to the mystery, the investigating officer died of arsenic poisoning. Nanasaheb was forced to abdicate, and, after a two-year interregnum, Balasaheb, then 43, became the Pratinidhi or ruler. Educated at Deccan College, Poona, Balasaheb was among the few Indian princes with a degree. His teacher, the historian and reformer Ramakrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, left a lasting impression on him. At one of the first meetings of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Balasaheb donated Rs 1 lakh to produce a popular illustrated Mahabharata. This followed the 1916 publication of the Chitra Ramayana (Illustrated Ramayana), which was widely praised, especially for Balasaheb's colour illustrations in it. The Illustrated London News called it an ' ideal introduction ' to the epic for British readers: 'It has merits of extreme simplicity, and the authentic Indian atmosphere both in the illustrations and the narrative.' Charles Kincaid, a British administrator and an ally of Balasaheb, wrote in the preface: 'The Ramayana now comes to us in a new garb, helping us better to understand the influence of the dim past upon the India we know and love. This is exactly the kind of knowledge which is needed by all who are called upon to minister to the growing wants of her people. There is no true sympathy without understanding.' Radical offer The roots of representative government in Aundh go back to the 1920s. Appasaheb Pant, in his foreword to Indira Rothermund's The Aundh Experiment (1983), recalled how the raiyat sabha, a legislative council formed in 1923 to give advice to the king, was gradually empowered. By 1935, a member of the sabha had been appointed minister for primary education, health and agricultural reforms. In addition, he was made part of a three-member administrative team with the king and divan. In 1927, Balasaheb made a radical offer: he placed both the state and his personal budget under the council's control. The Daily Herald, a Chicago newspaper, reported that such a move, at a time when 'the huge private incomes and personal expenditures of many of the Indian princes' was widely criticised, made a strong public impression. Balasaheb was not just a progressive patron of the arts: he was forward-looking, encouraging local industries in line with his commitment to Swadeshi and self-sufficiency. He supported Laxmanrao Kirloskar in establishing a factory for iron ploughs despite early resistance from superstitious farmers. Kirloskar later helped Shripad Prabhakar Ogale and his brothers set up a glass works factory in Kirloskarwadi. Another friend of Balasaheb, Vajirao Ramrao Guttikar, invented a multi-dish cooker – an early version of the instant pot – to ease domestic work for women, though it never caught on. In 1932, the Chicago Tribune reported that Aundh had launched India's first Gliders Association, with Balasaheb donating the first eight motorless craft. Though a strong Swadeshi proponent, he and his associates celebrated modern innovation. The Kirloskar Khabar, in October 1927, featured a cartoon of 'Miss India' congratulating 'Uncle Sam' after Charles Lindbergh's historic transatlantic flight. Physical fitness In 1938, Balasaheb opened the Shree Bhavani Sangrahalaya, an art museum showcasing Indian and European works. That year also saw the fourth edition of his book on the Surya Namaskar – a ten-step yogic regimen – published by JM Dent in London. The foreword was written by journalist Louise Morgan, who took up the practice after meeting him. Morgan recalled her surprise at meeting Balasaheb. She was expecting a frail 70-year-old, but instead found 'a man with the agile, supple movements of youth, eyes shining like a boy's, strong, brilliantly white teeth, firm muscles, radiant smile, and а mind that worked like summer lightning'. Balasaheb promoted the Surya Namaskar in schools and among citizens, guided by Shripad Damodar Satvalekar, a Gandhian yoga scholar. The regimen was related to Balasaheb's larger vision to raise a physically and mentally self-reliant populace. Just as he wanted the people of Aundh to be physically fit, Balasaheb also wanted them to be aesthetically aware. His Shree Bhavani Sangrahalaya, according to historian Deepti Mulgund, fostered aesthetic awareness through its mix of Indian and Western art, including medieval miniatures, paintings from the Bengal school, as well as Western artefacts and casts. Notably, a Henry Moore sculpture – Mother and Child – was acquired by Appasaheb Pant when the artist was still relatively unknown. During a visit to Britain in 1936, Balasaheb promoted both the Surya Namaskar and the arts. He delivered lectures on art, toured industries that made agricultural and dairy equipment, and screened a film that showed his family and friends demonstrating the Surya Namaskar. A film of his visit survives and can still be seen on YouTube. The Sunday People on July 12, 1936, said about Balasaheb: 'The white-haired Raja of Aundh claims to have discovered the greatest of all secrets: eternal youth.' Some tongue-in-cheek accounts said the Raja left 'nothing undone to make converts to the habit of deep breathing,' practicing even in boats, trains, and cars. Play For nearly a decade, until it joined the Indian Union in 1947, Aundh governed itself according to its constitution. Balasaheb died in 1951, aged 84. His son, Appasaheb Pant – later a distinguished Indian diplomat – reflected on the enduring legacy of Aundh's experiment: 'By his renouncing power and possessions, the raja had 'constitutionally' become 'the first servant of the Aundh people' and keeper of their conscience. The relationship of the individual with authority, the hierarchy of power changed with this declaration; that was the key that unlocked the doors to a successful working of democracy in Aundh's villages. As long as there is fear of, or desire for, favour from authority, democracy cannot work: that is the message of the Aundh experiment.'
Indian Express
18 hours ago
- Indian Express
UPSC Key: Maratha Empire, TN Education policy, and India's EV push
Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for August 9, 2025. If you missed the August 8, 2025, UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here. Syllabus: Mains Examination: History of India and Indian National Movement General Studies-I: Modern Indian history from about the middle of the eighteenth century until the present – significant events, personalities, issues. What's the ongoing story: A map showing the extent of the Maratha empire in 1759 in the new NCERT Class 8 social science textbook has run into a controversy. Chaitanya Raj Singh, scion of the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Jaisalmer, on Monday (August 4) called the map, which shows Jaisalmer to be a part of the Maratha empire, 'historically misleading, factually baseless, and deeply objectionable'. Key Points to Ponder: • What do you know about the Maratha Empire? • When was the Battle of Bhopal fought? • What were chauth and sardeshmukhi? • What is the cultural significance of Shivaji? • The Maratha equation was not the same with all rulers of that region. What does it mean? Key Takeaways: • On Wednesday, Michel Danino, chairperson of the NCERT's curricular area group for the new social science textbooks, responded to the objection, stating: 'Further research is on to confirm that our map's boundaries are incorrect; if they are, a revised map will be prepared based on the best information available, and submitted for future editions of the textbook.' • In the first half of the 18th century, with the Mughal empire breaking up, the then Peshwa of the Maratha empire, Baji Rao I, 'could not resist a Maratha drive' into the north, Stewart Gordon wrote in The Marathas 1600–1818 (1993). By then, the Marathas were already collecting tribute from erstwhile Mughal dominions in the Deccan. • The Marathas then pushed into parts of Rajasthan, the areas around Delhi and Punjab, and Bundelkhand, besides attacking parts of Orissa, Bengal, and Bihar, Gordon wrote. They established control over Malwa after the Battle of Bhopal. The Bengal raids were under Baji Rao's successors. • Rahul Magar, Assistant Professor at the History Department at Savitribai Phule Pune University, told The Indian Express that 'the Marathas were collecting chauth and sardeshmukhi from the Rajput territories, but does that mean that they had political intervention in those states? No, they did not, in many cases.' • He added that economic tribute and political authority should be treated as distinct: 'These states, like Rajputana and even Orissa and Bengal, were paying financial tribute, but it is not necessary that they politically considered the Peshwa as their overlord.' • Jaisalmer was under the Bhati clan of Rajputs. Gordon wrote of a tribute collecting expedition that Baji Rao I led in 1728 through western Malwa and into Rajasthan. Gordon also mentions the succession disputes like those in Bundi and Jodhpur, and the tribute that the Marathas claimed from these regions. • Some regions were fully administered by the Peshwa's men 'and others only thinly administered, and populated by recalcitrant zamindars who managed to defy Maratha authority from behind walled strongholds.' • Scholars have been divided over the nature of the Maratha polity and whether it was a confederacy. Do You Know: • According to the NCERT textbook og Grade 8, The Marathas often levied taxes called chauth (25 per cent) and sardeshmukhi (an additional 10 per cent to chauth) from provinces that were not directly under them, including places in the Deccan and north India. In return, the Marathas protected those provinces and did not intervene in their internal administration. • Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (1630-1680) carved out an independent Maratha kingdom from various Deccan states in the 17th century. He was born to a general who served different Deccan Sultans throughout his life. • Shivaji was keen on expanding his father's fiefdom of modern-day Pune into an independent Maratha state. During that time several Sultanates like Bijapur, Golkonda and Ahmadnagar and the Mughals were competing for the control of the Deccan. • 'Chhatrapati Shivaji established what he called a 'Swarajya', which means a kingdom in which the power was in the hands of the indigenous people,' says author Uday S Kulkarni. He says that Shivaji carried out a commendable task of bringing together a large number of different castes under a common 'Maratha' identity. • Important Battles of the Maratha Dynasty Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍How Chhatrapati Shivaji binds the diverse history of the Marathas 📍Knowledge Nugget: Why are the Maratha Military Landscapes relevant for the UPSC exam? UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (1) Ashta Pradhan was a council of ministers (UPSC 1995) (a) in the Gupta administration (b) in the Chola administration (c) in the Vijayanagara administration (d) in the Maratha administration Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change – that do not require subject specialisation Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment. What's the ongoing story: The flash flood that devastated Dharali village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on August 5 has spotlighted again the threats from extreme weather events in India's hill states. Key Points to Ponder: • What could be the possible reasons for flash floods in Dharali village in Uttarakhand? • What is the relationship between cloudbursts and flashfloods? • Why are the Himalayas more susceptible to landslides or flash floods? • What are the difficulties in developing early warning systems for such events? • What mitigation measures need to be taken? • What is the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF)? Key Takeaways: • Flash floods are usually triggered by extreme rainfall events that lead to landslides or mudslides with large amounts of debris ending up in streams or rivers. The debris flows down steep slopes with the surging water, its great force sweeping away buildings, vegetation, and roads in its path. • What triggered the flash flood in the Kheer Ganga that hit Dharali, however, remains unclear. • A senior glaciologist has suggested the possibility of a breach in a glacial lake that may have formed upstream. While glacial ice-breaks can trigger flash floods, the occurrence of such an event is yet to be confirmed in this case. • There are no direct cause-effect relationships among heavy rainfall, landslides, and flash floods. • Not all cloudburst-like events result in a flash flood or a disaster. And not all flash floods are triggered by an intense spell of rain. • For a flash flood-like situation to be created, several things must come together. In most cases, heavy rainfall followed by landslides or mudslides lead to run-offs into rivers. But extreme rainfall events do not always lead to landslides – and if they do, the debris does not always find its way into a river or stream. • Also, the place where this occurs may not always be located on a slope that is steep enough to facilitate the forceful downward journey of the accumulated mass. • But again, landslides are not necessary to cause flash floods. In some cases, extreme rainfall on its own can do so. • Sometimes, a flash flood can result if a section of a glacier breaks and falls into a river. In Chamoli district of Uttarakhand in 2021, 3-4 million cubic metres of water was suddenly released into the Rishiganga and Dhauliganga rivers following an ice-break. • Sometimes, even low-intensity rainfall can trigger flash floods. This can happen if the area is already extremely fragile, or the mountain slopes are already eroding, and the soil is saturated, unable to absorb any more water. • In these circumstances, even small amounts of rain can trigger landslides or flash floods. • The Dharali incident illustrates the difficulties in developing early warning systems for such events. • While heavy rainfall events can be reliably predicted days in advance, and efforts to predict landslides are progressing steadily, whether such events would end up in flash floods remains very difficult to predict. • But some mitigation measures can certainly be taken. These would include avoiding construction activity near river banks, moving villages and populations some distance away from rivers, and storing and disposing of large boulders and construction debris in a way that they are not easily swept into rivers. Do You Know: • A cloudburst has a specific definition in meteorology. The IMD categorises an extreme rainfall event as a cloudburst if a small area, roughly 10 km x 10 km in size, receives at least 100 mm of rain in about an hour. • By its very definition, a cloudburst is a concentrated, localised event. For this reason, a cloudburst may sometimes go unrecorded if there are no rainfall-measuring devices in that small area. • Very high-intensity rainfall during a cloudburst event increases chances of a landslide. Cloudburst-like events, even if they do not qualify as a cloudburst in the specific terms of its definition, are often behind flash floods in hill states. Many of the recent incidents in Himachal Pradesh were triggered by cloudburst-like events. • But again, in the case of Uttarkashi, there is no indication that such an event took place, even in remote locations. • The Himalayas are relatively young mountains. The rocks are not fully consolidated, and there are lots of relatively weak geological formations. The region is, therefore, more susceptible to landslides or flash floods than, say, the older Aravali mountains. • The Himalayas are also earthquake-prone. Continuous seismic activity makes the region more vulnerable in case of an extreme rainfall event. Largescale construction activity and high volumes of vehicular traffic are contributing factors as well. • According to the NDMA, the retreat of glaciers as a result of climate change that is occurring in most parts of the Hindu Kush Himalayas has given rise to numerous new glacial lakes, breaches in which can cause Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). • A GLOF occurs when a large mass of water dammed by a glacier or a moraine is released suddenly. When glaciers melt, the water in these glacial lakes accumulates behind loose naturally-formed 'glacial/ moraine dams' made of ice, sand, pebbles, and ice residue. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍How to reduce risks from glacial lake bursts and carry out effective rescue operations 📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | Uttarkashi Cloudburst: What UPSC aspirants must-know for Prelims and Mains UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (2) Which of the following statements with regard to cloudburst is/are correct? (UPSC CDS 2017) 1. It is defined as sudden localized very heavy downpour with cloud thunder and lightning. 2. It mostly occurs in the hilly areas. 3. It results into very high intensity of rainfall, i.e., 250 mm-300 mm in a couple of hours. 4. It occurs only during the daytime. Select the correct answer using the code given below. (a) 1, 2, and 3 (b) 1, 3, and 4 (c) 2 and 3 (d) 2 only Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India's interests. What's the ongoing story: Amid the tension in ties with the US after President Donald Trump doubled the tariff on India over its purchase of Russian oil, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation Friday during which they discussed 'the latest developments on Ukraine' and 'reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership'. Key Points to Ponder: • What do you understand by strategic partnership? • US President Donald Trump doubled the tariff on India over its purchase of Russian oil. Why? • What are the reasons for the Russia-Ukraine conflict? • What is India's stand on the conflict? • What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)? • Who are the members of the SCO? Key Takeaways: • Modi said he looked forward to hosting Putin in India later this year. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who travelled to Moscow this week and met Putin, had also said that the President would be visiting India. • The sense in New Delhi is that if there is progress in the talks between the American and Russian Presidents on resolving the war, it will hold the key to the US backing off on the additional 25 per cent penalty on India for buying Russian oil. • Meanwhile, China welcomed Modi's planned visit to the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Tianjin later this month, expressing hope that the event would be a 'gathering of solidarity, friendship and fruitful results'. New Delhi is still to announce the visit — it will be Modi's first visit to China after 2018. • Russia is also part of the SCO grouping, along with India, China, Pakistan and Iran. Do You Know: • The origins of SCO lie in the 'Shanghai Five' which was formed in 1996, consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991 into 15 independent countries, there were concerns in the region about extremist religious groups and ethnic tensions coming to the fore. To manage these issues, a grouping was created for cooperation on security matters. • Building on this, SCO was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai as an international organisation, and also included Uzbekistan as a sixth member. The Charter of the SCO was signed at the St. Petersburg Summit in June 2002 and became effective on September 19, 2003. Additionally, in 2006, the SCO announced plans to combat international drug trafficking as a means to finance global terrorism. • Today, it consists of 10 member countries- India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. India and Pakistan became full members in 2017. Afghanistan and Mongolia hold Observer Status. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍How the Russia-Ukraine conflict also became a cultural war 📍Explained Interview | What to expect from the Trump-Putin meeting Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (3) Consider the following: (2022) 1. Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank 2. Missile Technology Control Regime 3. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation India is a member of which of the above? (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3 Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for India? (UPSC CSE 2021) Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. What's the ongoing story: In a departure from the National Education Policy (NEP), Tamil Nadu on Friday launched its own State Education Policy, with Chief Minister M K Stalin describing it as 'a vision document for the future' tailored to the state's 'unique character'. Key Points to Ponder: • What is the three-language policy of the NEP? • Why does Tamil Nadu depart from the three-language policy? How is it different from a 2-language formula? • Education as a subject comes under which list- union, state, or concurrent? • The Centre's push to implement the NEP across all states has faced resistance from several quarters. Why? • What is the purpose of introducing the NEP? Key Takeaways: • Tamil Nadu has become the first state to formally adopt its own comprehensive school education policy in direct contrast to the Centre's NEP — an act seen as both pedagogical and political. • The 230-page policy document was developed by a 14-member committee headed by retired Delhi High Court Chief Justice D Murugesan. • The policy scraps board examinations for class 11 with immediate effect — a move that reverses a 2017 decision by the then-AIADMK government. • The policy sets a target to ensure that all students complete school and move into higher education. Stalin noted that 72% of students who passed class 12 this year had already enrolled in higher education. • According to the document, at the heart of the new policy lies a commitment to social equity, academic excellence, and holistic development. • The policy is structured across key thematic areas — foundational literacy and numeracy, curriculum reform, teacher training, safe and inclusive schools, digital learning, and sustainable infrastructure. The government's flagship Ennum Ezhuthum Mission remains central to its literacy goals. • Under the policy, special attention is given to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, first-generation learners, and children with special needs, with measures ranging from inclusive curriculum and barrier-free infrastructure, scholarships and targeted mentoring. • The Centre's push to implement the NEP across all states has faced resistance from several quarters. Tamil Nadu has fiercely resisted it, citing its emphasis on Hindi and the three-language formula. • The policy also includes a structured push toward 21st-century skills and digital literacy. Do You Know: • An NEP is a comprehensive framework to guide the development of education in the country. The need for a policy was first felt in 1964 when Congress MP Siddheshwar Prasad criticised the then government for lacking a vision and philosophy for education. • The same year, a 17-member Education Commission, headed by then UGC Chairperson D S Kothari, was constituted to draft a national and coordinated policy on education. Based on the suggestions of this Commission, Parliament passed the first education policy in 1968. • The National Education Policy, 2020 is the third national education policy of the country. The first came in 1968 and the second in 1986, under Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi respectively; the NEP of 1986 was revised in 1992 when P V Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister. The third NEP is released under the Prime Ministership of Narendra Modi. • The NEP only provides a broad direction and is not mandatory to follow. Since education is a concurrent subject (both the Centre and the state governments can make laws on it). The incumbent government has set a target of 2040 to implement the entire policy. • The three-language formula, dating back to 1968, means students in Hindi-speaking states should learn a modern Indian language, apart from Hindi and English and, in non-Hindi-speaking states, Hindi along with the regional language and English. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Five years of National Education Policy: Taking stock of the transition 📍Malala Day 2025: How India's NEP seeks to bridge gender gap in education Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme: (4) Which of the following provisions of the Constitution does India have a bearing on Education? (UPSC CSE 2012) 1. Directive Principles of State Policy 2. Rural and Urban Local Bodies 3. Fifth Schedule 4. Sixth Schedule 5. Seventh Schedule Select the correct answer using the codes given below: (a) 1 and 2 only (b) 3, 4 and 5 only (c) 1, 2 and 5 only (d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation. What's the ongoing story: Audrey Dmello and Flavia Agnes write: The 'age of consent' debate has re-emerged, this time in the Nipun Saxena and Anr vs Union of India PIL pending in the Supreme Court. The Court will examine whether the age of 'consensual' sexual relationships, which is currently pegged at 18, needs to be reduced, under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. Key Points to Ponder: • What is the age of consent? • What is the reasoning given to reduce the age of consent to 16 years? • What is the debate around reducing the age of consent? • What is the POCSO Act? • How does the POSCO Act define a child? • What are the features of the POSCO Act? • What is the Law Commission of India (LCI) recommendation on the age of consent under the POSCO Act? Key Takeaways: • Audrey Dmello and Flavia Agnes write: As per the POCSO Act, any sexual activity with a minor is a crime. Cases referred to as 'consensual' under POCSO rarely involve sexual exploration among teens but on the contrary, reflect a darker and more complex social reality. • Most victims are from marginalised communities and trying to escape violent homes, sexual abuse by family members, discrimination, and/or threats of forced marriage. • The age of the victim in some of these cases is as low as 12 years; the man is much older. The man promises her love and a better life. Having had sex with him, she believes the man and agrees to elope. Usually, a 'missing person' complaint is lodged by the parents. • The police trace the couple, often already married and/or expecting a child. A case under the POCSO Act is registered, the man is arrested, and the girl is institutionalised. • In a controversial judgment, the Calcutta High Court, while acquitting a man of penetrative sexual assault, commented that it was a case of 'non-exploitative consensual sexual relationship between two consenting adolescents'. • The victim was 14, and the man was 25. The victim claimed that she had married the accused and left her house of her own will. She expressed a desire to continue living with the accused. The court did not examine the home conditions that compelled a mere teenager to want to elope. • According to NCRB data, as a result of mandatory reporting under the POCSO Act, cases of child sexual abuse rose from 8,541 in 2012 to 53,874 in 2021. In Mumbai alone in 2021, 524 cases of penetrative sexual assault were reported under the POCSO Act. • Meanwhile, India witnessed 1.6 million child marriages in 2022, with barely 900 cases registered as per the India Child Protection report. • The drivers of child marriage have shifted from Brahminical patriarchy to poverty, lack of education, and fear of sexual violence. Poverty-stricken parents marry off their daughters young to safeguard them, not due to tradition but out of desperation. • What we are witnessing is a tragic paradox. Minor girls from marginalised backgrounds choose between the frying pan and the fire. • Child rights activists are advocating that the age of consent be reduced to 16 years (except in cases involving coercion, and sexual relationships with persons in authority). Their demand is rooted in ensuring autonomy and agency for young girls — they argue that the criminal justice system severely impacts girls' lives and offers them nothing. • But if we have to extend this logic, why stop at 16 and not 14? After all, in the West Bengal case, the victim was 14 years old, and our ground work reveals victims are sometimes as young as 12. • More importantly, how are we going to establish 'consent' and who will decide? Consent can be enthusiastic, reluctant, vitiated by fear, or extracted by manipulation. It can be revoked, misunderstood, or miscommunicated. Do You Know: • In September 2010, the Ministry of Women and Child Development prepared a draft Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2010 which after several rounds of revisions came into force as the POCSO Act on Children's Day – 14 November, 2012. • POCSO offences are cognizable and non-bailable: arrests can be made without a warrant, and bail is not automatic. But the law does not contain specific statutory guidelines on bail. • POCSO does not recognise consent below the age of 18. Any sexual act with a teen, even if voluntary, is treated as an offence. This creates a legal grey zone in cases where teenagers enter into consensual relationships that later attract criminal charges. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍10 years of POCSO: An analysis of India's landmark child abuse law 📍How judicial discretion decides bail in POCSO cases Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: Examine the main provisions of the National Child Policy and throw light on the status of its implementation. (UPSC CSE 2016) Syllabus: Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development – Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc. Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilisation, of resources, growth, development and employment What's the ongoing story: Over the past year, India's electric vehicle (EV) policy has undergone a quiet but significant pivot: electric cars are no longer centre-stage, while e-trucks have emerged as the new priority. Key Points to Ponder: • What is the PM E-DRIVE scheme? • Why is the government pushing for EVs? • Electric penetration in the truck segment remains negligible. What steps need to be taken to address this? • What are the benefits of the electrification of trucks? Key Takeaways: • The first major signal came in September 2024, when the PM E-DRIVE scheme was rolled out without any incentives for electric four-wheelers — unlike the preceding FAME subsidy. Earlier this week, the NITI Aayog reinforced this stance, arguing that measuring progress in e-mobility through cars is 'not… the right metric' for India. • Electric cars simply aren't selling fast enough in India to move the needle — largely due to their relatively high cost and persistent range anxiety. • In 2024, the share of electric cars in total four-wheeler sales — or EV penetration — remained low at just 2 per cent, according to New York-headquartered think tank Rhodium Group. In contrast, the EV penetration rate in the four-wheeler segment stood at 47 per cent in China, 23 per cent in Europe, 10 per cent in the US, and a striking 17 per cent in Vietnam — up from just 3 per cent in 2022. • There's another reason — 'While 75% of Indian vehicles are two-wheelers, only 13% of these vehicles are cars… Hence, measuring progress in the transition to electric mobility by only looking at cars, as done in developed countries, would not be the right metric in a country dominated by two-wheelers,' the NITI Aayog report said. • In addition to cars making up a smaller share of vehicles overall, large cars costing over Rs 10 lakh account for just 2 per cent of India's vehicle fleet. • That said, the government did launch the Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Electric Passenger Cars in India in March 2024 — which many had seen as aimed at attracting Tesla — with guidelines released in June this year. • As far as reducing emissions, particulate pollution, and dependence on energy imports is concerned, electrification of trucks will go a long way. • In July, the Ministry of Heavy Industries launched an incentive scheme for e-trucks under PM-DRIVE, aiming to support 5,600 vehicles with a capacity of over 3.5 tonnes. • China is already showing what electrification of trucking can do to oil consumption — with around 9 per cent of heavy-duty trucks now electric, it is displacing over 1 million barrels per day in implied oil demand, according to the Rhodium Group. Do You Know: • The report titled 'Unlocking a $200 Billion Opportunity: Electric Vehicles in India' said it is 'evident that continuation of incentives alone may not help' India reach the 2030 target. 'As such it is time to give a stronger push for the shift by introducing some gentle mandates and disincentives which will help signal the required direction more firmly,' it said. • On October 1, 2024, the government commenced the PM E-Drive electric vehicle subsidy scheme offering upfront incentives for purchase and supporting the installation of critical EV charging infrastructure. • It is offering Rs 3,679 crore in subsidies and demand incentives to accelerate the adoption of electric two-wheelers, three-wheelers, e-ambulances, e-trucks, and other emerging EVs. • It has replaced previous flagship initiatives such as the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME) policy, which expired in March, and the three-month Electric Mobility Promotion Scheme (EMPS), which ended on September 30, 2024. • India launched 'E-Amrit', a web portal on electric vehicles (EVs) at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow. • Developed by NITI Aayog, the portal provides information on EV adoption, purchase, investment opportunities, policies, and subsidies. Other Important Articles Covering the same topic: 📍Electric Vehicles (EV) Schemes across India 2024: All you need to know Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme: How is efficient and affordable urban mass transport key to the rapid economic development in India? (UPSC CSE 2019) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. 🚨 Click Here to read the UPSC Essentials magazine for July 2025. Share your views and suggestions in the comment box or at Khushboo Kumari is a Deputy Copy Editor with The Indian Express. She has done her graduation and post-graduation in History from the University of Delhi. At The Indian Express, she writes for the UPSC section. She holds experience in UPSC-related content development. You can contact her via email: ... Read More
