A year after the Election Commission (EC) ordered a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, starting with Bihar as Assembly elections were due there, the exercise has found a mention in the NCERT’s new Social Science textbook for Class 9. Through SIR, the EC “ensures that no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll,” it says.
The book — ‘Understanding Society India and Beyond: Part 1’ — released Thursday, also features a section on the Emergency, as part of the topic, ‘Challenges to democratic practices in India’, in a chapter titled ‘Democracy’.
“One of the major challenges to democracy in India was recorded when an Emergency was imposed in 1975-77. In the early 1970s, public dissatisfaction with the government led by Indira Gandhi was growing. Rising unemployment, inflation, and allegations of misgovernance led to widespread protests,” it says.
“In June 1975, a National Emergency was imposed by the government 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,” it says.
“Democratic institutions came under severe strain, and citizens’ freedom was restricted. Mass movements led by Jayaprakash Narayan — a political leader and socialist thinker, popularly known as Lok Nayak — mobilized students and citizens, especially in Bihar and Gujarat,” it says.
Referring to the general elections held after the Emergency was lifted in 1977, it says: “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”.
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The only mention of the Emergency in the old Class 9 textbook was in a chapter on electoral politics. Referring to the “save democracy” slogan “given by Janata Party under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan, in the Lok Sabha election held in 1977”, it said the party “promised to undo the excesses committed during Emergency and restore civil liberties.”
However, NCERT’s Class 12 Political Science textbook — Politics in India Since Independence — has a chapter titled ‘The crisis of democratic order’, which provides details on the Emergency, including the background leading up to it, the response to it, and politics after the Emergency.
Speaking to reporters in Chandigarh, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “NCERT has done the right thing. Future generations should know, read and understand dark deeds like the Emergency, so that such a situation does not arise again.”
The SIR finds a mention in a chapter on elections in the new Class 9 book, in a section on the poll panel’s functions. “The ECI also conducts Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which involves updating, verifying and correcting the electoral rolls… Through SIR, it ensures that no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll. This exercise ensures the addition of all voters, especially the young voters who have just turned 18 and may be left out due to a lack of awareness of any other reason,” it says.
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“The SIR also deletes the names of the voters on the basis of death of the voter, change of residence, duplicate enrollment, and being permanently untraceable,” it states, adding that the EC gives time to raise claims or objections against the revised electoral roll, and settles these claims and objections before publishing the final electoral roll.
The old Class 9 textbook, in a chapter on electoral politics, had a section on voters’ lists, where it mentioned that “a complete revision of the list takes place every five years”, and this is done to ensure that it remains up to date.
NCERT Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani did not respond to calls and texts seeking his comment.
The NCERT has been releasing new school textbooks that align with the National Education Policy, 2020, and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2023. New books for Classes 1 to 9 have been released so far. The new Class 9 Social Science book, which includes chapters on History, Geography, Political Science and Economics, is meant for use in the ongoing academic year; a second part of the book is also expected later this year.