Parliament was informed on Wednesday by the Union Ministry of Education that the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) recognizes both "India" and "Bharat" as official names for the country. Responding to queries from members Elamaram Kareem and Sandosh Kumar, Union Minister of State for Education Annapurna Devi highlighted the Constitution of India's reference to the nation as "India, that is Bharat," allowing the use of both names interchangeably.
Minister Annapurna Devi emphasized the country's departure from a colonial mindset, expressing support for the use of words in Indian languages. She noted that the NCERT, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education responsible for developing school curriculum and textbooks, aligns itself with this ethos.
In October, a high-level committee for social sciences within the NCERT recommended replacing the term "India" with "Bharat" in textbooks. This suggestion sparked a political controversy, with the Opposition alleging electoral motives and drawing connections to the 26-party alliance, INDIA, opposing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Despite the uproar, the NCERT clarified that no final decision had been made on the panel's recommendations, citing the ongoing process of developing new syllabi and textbooks.
"NCERT states that since the development of new syllabus and textbooks is in the process and for that purpose various curricular area groups of domain experts are being notified. So, it is too premature to comment," the NCERT asserted.
