'Challenges to democracy in India': For first time, NCERT to teach Class 9 students about Emergency
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Challenges to democracy in India': For first time, NCERT to teach Class 9 students about Emergency")
NCERT introduces Emergency in Class 9 curriculum for the first time Photograph: (Combination created using images from ANI, Wikimedia Commons)
For the 1st time, NCERT has introduced a dedicated chapter on the 1975-77 Emergency in a Class 9 textbook, describing it as "one of the major challenges to democracy in India" and highlighting censorship, suspension of Fundamental Rights and the arrest of political leaders during the period.
Nearly five decades after the Emergency was imposed in India, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has, for the first time, introduced the subject in a Class 9 textbook, describing it as one of the most significant challenges faced by Indian democracy. The chapter has been added to the newly developed Social Science textbook, Understanding Society: India and Beyond. The Emergency chapter, as per reports, examines the strengths, evolution and challenges of democratic governance in India.
The first time children will read about dark days of Emergency
According to an ANI report, an NCERT official confirmed that this is the first time a dedicated section on the Emergency has been included in a Class 9 textbook.
The move comes weeks after the country marked 50 years since the proclamation of the Emergency on June 25, 1975, a period widely regarded as one of the most controversial chapters in independent India's political history.
How the textbook describes Emergency
The textbook states that public dissatisfaction with the government led by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi had been rising in the early 1970s amid unemployment, inflation and allegations of misgovernance.
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"One of the major challenges to democracy in India was recorded when an Emergency was imposed in 1975-77," the chapter says.
It further notes that a National Emergency was declared in June 1975 on the grounds of "internal disturbance".
"During this period, a majority of Fundamental Rights were suspended, the press was censored, and numerous political leaders and activists were arrested. Democratic institutions came under severe strain, and citizens' freedom was restricted," the book states.
Jayaprakash Narayan's role highlighted
The chapter also discusses the movement led by Jayaprakash Narayan, popularly known as Lok Nayak, and his role in mobilising students and citizens against the Emergency.
According to the textbook, mass movements in states such as Bihar and Gujarat played a crucial role in challenging the government during the period.
It adds that the lifting of the Emergency in 1977 and the subsequent general election demonstrated the resilience of India's democratic system. "The defeat of the ruling government demonstrated the strength of Indian democracy," the text reads.
Part of a broader discussion on democracy
Alongside the Emergency, the chapter states that the other challenges faced by democratic societies include fake news, misinformation, poverty, social discrimination, regionalism, gender inequality and violations of public norms.
NCERT has also introduced a new section titled "Democracy and You", aimed at helping students understand their role as active citizens in a democratic society.
