New Delhi: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has released a revised edition of its Class 8 Social Science textbook, introducing changes to the chapter on India’s Independence and Partition, revising the account of the Congress’ stand on Partition, adding a reference to V.D. Savarkar’s call for Swaraj and removing references to Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology.
The revised textbook, Exploring Society: India and Beyond, has also removed the portions on the judiciary that had triggered controversy earlier this year. The new edition has been published following the review process undertaken in compliance with directions issued by the Supreme Court.
In the chapter titled India’s Long Road to Independence, the revised textbook states that the Partition of India was “widely opposed even by the Indian National Congress” and notes that whether accepting Partition was “the only way forward” remains a matter of debate.
The revised edition omits a sentence from the earlier version which stated that Congress leaders were helpless as communal violence engulfed the subcontinent during Partition.
The textbook also expands the discussion on the demand for complete independence by mentioning that a similar call for Swaraj was made by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1925.
References to Adolf Hitler and Nazi ideology in the context of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s efforts during the Second World War have been removed. The revised text now states that Bose sought support from anti-British forces without specifically mentioning Hitler or Nazism.
Following the controversy over the chapter on the judiciary, the Supreme Court had directed withdrawal of the earlier edition. The revised textbook includes updated content on Public Interest Litigation (PIL), tribunals and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
Another notable change is the inclusion of “economic background” among the grounds for discrimination alongside caste, religion, race, gender, disability and other recognised categories in the chapter on citizenship and rights.
NCERT officials said all new textbooks for Classes 1 to 8 developed under the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023 are now available in print and digital formats. The remaining two textbooks for Class 9 are expected to be released by August.
