NCERT Class 9 Textbook Now Includes Detailed Emergency Account and SIR Electoral Roll Update
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a new Social Science textbook for Class 9, which includes an expanded section on the Emergency of 1975-77 and a mention of the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The textbook, titled 'Understanding Society India and Beyond: Part 1', devotes a section to the Emergency under the topic 'Challenges to democratic practices in India' in a chapter on democracy. It describes the background of rising unemployment, inflation, and allegations of misgovernance leading to public dissatisfaction with the government led by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The text notes that in June 1975, a National Emergency was imposed on grounds of internal disturbance, leading to the suspension of fundamental rights, press censorship, and the arrest of numerous political leaders and activists. It highlights that 'democratic institutions came under severe strain' and mentions mass movements led by Jayaprakash Narayan, referred to as Lok Nayak, which mobilized students and citizens, especially in Bihar and Gujarat.
The textbook also discusses the 1977 general elections held after the Emergency was lifted, stating that the defeat of the ruling government 'demonstrated the strength of Indian democracy and highlighted the importance of constitutional safeguards, civil liberties, and active citizen participation in protecting democratic values'.
In contrast, the previous Class 9 textbook only briefly mentioned the Emergency in a chapter on electoral politics, referring to the 'save democracy' slogan used by the Janata Party in the 1977 elections. However, the Class 12 Political Science textbook already contains a detailed chapter on the crisis of democratic order.
Separately, the new textbook includes a section on the Election Commission's functions, specifically mentioning the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The SIR is a process to update, verify, and correct electoral rolls, ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included. The textbook notes that the SIR adds young voters who have just turned 18, deletes names due to death, change of residence, duplicate enrollment, or being permanently untraceable, and provides a period for raising claims or objections before the final roll is published. The mention follows the Election Commission's order a year ago to conduct SIR starting with Bihar ahead of Assembly elections.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed the changes, stating that future generations should know about 'dark deeds like the Emergency' to prevent such situations from recurring.
