Kerala CM criticises NCERT panel's recommendation; Urges people to safeguard essence of 'India'
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The NCERT panel's recommendation to replace "India" with "Bharat" in school textbooks cannot be accepted, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Thursday and urged all citizens to unite and safeguard the essence of 'India".
He said the present recommendation could be seen only as a continuation of the recent arbitrary exclusion of portions including Mughal history and the banning of the RSS following Gandhi's assassination from textbooks.
The politics behind the move are as clear as day, he said.
In a statement, the Left veteran accused the NCERT of continuously favouring the Sangh Parivar attempts to distort history.
Now, the high-level committee for social sciences appointed by the NCERT was showing keenness to "whitewash the fake history created by the Sangh", the CM alleged.
"The recent proposal by NCERT to replace 'India' with 'Bharat' in textbooks is not acceptable. Our Constitution recognises both names, and this change appears to be another step in the Sangh Parivar's ongoing effort to impose their divisive communalism in our educational institutions and curriculum," Vijayan said in his X handle.
He further alleged that the Sangh Parivar is scared of the politics of inclusion represented by the term 'India', and their aversion to the word is part of that.
Vijayan charged that the Sangh has always been against the idea of "India" based on pluralism and coexistence.
The NCERT panel's recommendation was the latest example of this, the CM claimed.
"As per the decision of NCERT's Committee on Social Science, the word 'India' should be changed to 'Bharat' in the textbooks of the academic branch. The Constitution refers to our nation as both India and Bharat.
"The politics behind avoiding India in it is as clear as daylight. The Sangh Parivar fears the inclusive politics represented by the phenomenon called India. The hatred against the word India is part of this", he said.
Vijayan urged all citizens to unite and safeguard the essence of 'India', a nation founded on the principles of unity in diversity.
"Let's celebrate our diverse heritage and embrace our pluralistic identity with pride," Vijayan said, a day after a high-level committee for social sciences, appointed by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to revise the school curriculum, recommended the replacement of "India" with "Bharat" in textbooks for all classes nationwide.
Earlier in the day, General Education Minister V Sivankutty also came out against the recommendation for the name change and alleged that this was a form of "parochial politics" with a hidden agenda, something the southern state could not accept under any circumstances.
Addressing a press conference in Kollam, Sivankutty stated that the state would reject the panel's recommendation to change the country's name.
He asserted that there was a deliberate effort to "saffronise" the entire curriculum, denying the new generation the opportunity to learn the authentic history of the country.
Sivankutty alleged that this national-level curriculum revision was incompatible with democratic values.
"Every citizen has the right to use India or Bharat as mentioned in the Constitution," he pointed out.
Asking to use only "Bharat" in the textbook was with a "hidden agenda and parochial politics," and Kerala cannot accept it, he said while explaining the government's stand.
In a federal country, the opinion of states should also have been sought before taking significant decisions, but it is not happening in India now, the Minister alleged.
He recalled that Kerala had responded "academically" when a similar attempt to "distort history" took place at the national level during a previous curriculum revision.
Citing figures, he said that out of the 33 crore children of school-going age, only 25 crore actually attend educational institutions. The remaining are not in school for various reasons.
As a progressive society, Kerala bears the responsibility to expose attempts to evade such critical issues, Sivanakutty said.
The minister further said that since education is a subject on the concurrent list of the Constitution, the state has the right to take its own decision in that area.
If the NCERT intends to give children, through its textbooks, content that is 'unconstitutional, unscientific, and a distortion of real history,' Kerala would defend it by raising academic debates, he said.
The government would also convene the State Curriculum Committee and discuss in detail the work of preparing all the textbooks for the 11th and 12th standards in the state itself.
At present, the state is using 44 out of the total 120 textbooks published by the NCERT in these classes.
Responding to a question, the minister said further action would be decided after getting more details on the issue and consulting with CM Vijayan.
CPI (M) state secretary M V Govindan also strongly criticised the BJP-led central government over the NCERT"s recommendation to replace 'India' with 'Bharat' and said the attempt was to indoctrinate a generation by teaching 'distorted history'.
He accused the Centre of trying to change the country's name to Bharat as the opposition front was named "INDIA".
According to NCERT high level committee chairperson C I Isaac, the panel has suggested replacing the name "India" with "Bharat" in the textbooks, introducing "classical history", instead of "ancient history", in the curriculum, and including the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) in the syllabus for all subjects.
NCERT Chairman Dinesh Saklani, however, said no decision has been taken yet on the panel's recommendations.
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Karnataka govt directs municipal corps to regulate, prohibit pigeon feeding
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka government has issued directions to municipal corporations across the state to regulate and prohibit feeding pigeons in public places, citing serious public health concerns.
Deputy Secretary to Government V Lakshmikanth has written to the Urban Development Department requesting it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to take immediate steps to implement the measures.
In an official note dated December 16 issued by the Health and Family Welfare Department and released to the media on Wednesday, the department said uncontrolled feeding of pigeons in public places has resulted in large congregations of birds, excessive droppings and serious health concerns, particularly respiratory illnesses linked to prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.
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"The commissioner, the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Commissioners and chief officers of other municipal corporations shall take necessary action to mitigate the causes of dangerous disease spread by pigeon and enforce specified guidelines in their respective jurisdiction," the note said.
According to the department, these include a prohibition on feeding pigeons or causing pigeons to be fed in areas where it may cause nuisance or pose a health hazard to the public. Pigeon feeding shall be permitted only in designated areas in a controlled manner, subject to certain conditions.
"The designated areas may be selected in consultation with stakeholders. The responsibility for upkeep of the designated areas and compliance to the directions shall be taken up by some charitable organisation or an NGO. The feeding in designated areas shall be permitted only for some limited hours in the day," it said.
The note further stated that authorised officers of local authorities shall issue on-the-spot warnings and may impose fines for violation of the order, or lodge complaints to prosecute offenders under Sections 271 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 272 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
It also directed local authorities to conduct public awareness campaigns, including the display of signboards, banners and digital messages, explaining the health hazards associated with pigeon droppings and feathers, the content of the regulatory directions and penalties for violations, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation that do not endanger public health.
