New NCERT English textbook for class 9: Trimmed syllabus, more texts from Indian authors
New Delhi (PTI): Texts from Indian authors such as Tamil poet Subramania Bharati, Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty, Naga writer Temsula Ao, Rabindranath Tagore and Assamese novelist Mitra Phukan have found a place in the new English textbook by NCERT for class 9.
In the previous textbooks -- taught in schools between 2006-07 to 2025-26 academic sessions -- 15 of the 29 texts were written by international authors.
According to officials, the number of textbooks for the subject has been reduced from two to one and the number of texts from 29 to 16, including as many texts from Indian authors as international authors.
The new Class 9 English textbook called "Kaveri" opens with a story taken from a 2004 book, "How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories" by Rajya Sabha MP and author Sudha Murty.
The book, prepared as per the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023, will replace earlier textbooks "Beehive" and "Moments."
The new Class 9 textbook containing "elements of Indian Knowledge Systems(IKS)" has 16 texts -- eight by Indian authors, including Subramania Bharati, Sudha Murty, Temsula Ao, Mitra Phukan and Rabindranath Tagore, and six by foreign writers such as David Roth, Charles Swain, Bryanna T. Perkins, Robert Langley, Maya Anthony and Irene Chua.
Six texts are by foreign writers such as American poet David Roth, English poet Charles Swain, American children’s writer Bryanna T. Perkins, poet Robert Langley, writer Maya Anthony, and Singapore-based author Irene Chua.
The book also includes an anonymous poem, "Gifts of Grace: Honouring Our Vocations", and an interview-based piece titled "The World of Limitless Possibilities", featuring an interview with Paralympic athlete Deepa Malik.
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EC hands over probe into gherao of seven judicial officers in Bengal's Malda to NIA
Kolkata (PTI): The Election Commission of India on Thursday handed over the probe into the gherao of the seven judicial officers in West Bengal's Malda district to the NIA, following a Supreme Court directive.
Observing that West Bengal was the "most polarised state", the Supreme Court delivered a stinging indictment of the state administration after seven judicial officers engaged in SIR exercise were held hostage by protesters in Malda district and directed a CBI or NIA probe into the incident.
In an April 2 letter to the National Investigating Agency, the poll body referred to the apex court's order and directed it to probe the Wednesday incident.
Talking to PTI, a top official of the poll body said the NIA team would reach West Bengal on Friday.
Slamming the state administration for its "complete failure" and inaction over the "deplorable" gherao and attack on the officers during the Special Intensive Revision(SIR) of the voters list, the court also asked the EC to "requisition adequate Central Forces and deploy them at all places where judicial officers are adjudicating the objections".
West Bengal will have a two-phase poll -- on April 23 and 29.
The Supreme Court further said the incident was a "brazen attempt not only to browbeat the judicial officers" but also amounted to a challenge to the authority of this Supreme Court.
The top court gave the order after it took suo motu cognisance of a letter from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court detailing a harrowing night where the judicial officers, including three women and a five-year-old child, were held captive by a mob for over nine hours without food or water.
The incident occurred during the SIR exercise in the Kaliachowk area of Malda district, and as per the order, seven judicial officers were gheraoed by "anti-social elements" at a BDO office starting at 3:30 PM on Wednesday.
The officers were rescued by security forces around midnight on Wednesday after they were gheraoed over the alleged deletion of names from the electoral rolls, officials said.
