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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Former diplomat Sandhu sworn in as Delhi LG; says development of city duty of all
New Delhi (PTI): Former diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu was sworn in as the 23rd Lieutenant Governor of Delhi in a ceremony held at Lok Niwas on Wednesday.
Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya administered the oath of office and secrecy to Sandhu in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other dignitaries.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Sandhu described Delhi as his 'Karmbhumi', noting that he attended college and university in the city before serving here as a foreign service officer.
"There are many stakeholders and its duty of all of us to work together for development of Delhi," he said.
He added that while the problems facing the capital are well known, there are no automatic solutions and all stakeholders will have to work together to address them.
The new Lieutenant Governor paid his tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and offered prayers at the Rakabganj Gurudwara and Prachin Hanuman temple in Connaught Place. He succeeds Vinai Kumar Saxena, who has been appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh.
A 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, Sandhu was one of the most experienced Indian diplomats on United States affairs. He served in the Indian Mission in Washington, D.C., multiple times and was India's ambassador to the United States from February 2020 to January 2024.
The 63-year-old former diplomat had also been at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations from July 2005 to February 2009.
He unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2024 on the BJP ticket from the Amritsar constituency in Punjab.
