Lok Sabha Question No. 317 (STARRED), answered on 2021-12-20
Subject: Inclusion of Gita in Curriculum
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Gopal Chinayya Shetty

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.317 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2021

## Inclusion of Gita in Curriculum

## †*317. SHRI GOPAL CHINNAYA SHETTY:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether any steps have been taken or are proposed to be taken by the Government to include  the  Shrimadbhagwat  Gita  in  the  curriculum  of  all  the  schools,  colleges  and technical/medical Institutes in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has received requests from public representatives in August, 2020 in this regard;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the action taken or being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER MINISTER  OF  EDUCATION

## (SHRI  DHARMENDRA  PRADHAN)

- (a) to (e) A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PARTS  (a)  to  (e)  OF  THE  LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 317 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.12.2021 ASKED BY SHRI GOPAL CHINNAYA SHETTY, HON'BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT REGARDING 'INCLUSION OF GITA IN CURRICULUM'.

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(a) & (b) The  National  Council  of  Educational  Research  &  Training  (NCERT)  has informed that the contents related to 'Shrimad Bhagwat Gita' are already included in its Class XI and XII Sanskrit text books. Further, NCERT's History text book, under Social Science, for  Class  VI,  namely, 'Our Pasts-I', has made a reference to Shrimad Bhagwat Gita in the theme on 'Traders, Kings and Pilgrims' in connection with the Bhakti movement. Similarly, the textbook 'Our Pasts-II' for Class VII has also provided space to Shrimad Bhagwat Gita in the theme on the 'Devotional Paths to the Divine'. However, education, being a subject in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, and the majority of schools being under the jurisdiction of the State Governments, it is within the ambit of the States/ Union Territory Governments to  decide  about  the  contents/subjects  to  be  taught  in  their  schools  keeping  in  view  the National  Curriculum  Framework  (NCF).  The  University  Grants  Commission  (UGC)  has informed  that  the  universities  are  autonomous  institutions  created/  incorporated  under respective Central/ Provincial/State Act, which are governed by their own Acts, Statutes and Ordinances/ Regulations made thereunder; therefore, have autonomy to decide the curriculum for any programmes with due approval of their statutory bodies. However, Shrimad Bhagwat Gita  is  incorporated  in  the  syllabus  for  UGC-NET  examination  for  Yoga  subject.  The  All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has introduced a course of Indian Traditional Knowledge System in 2018 in the model curriculum of UG Engineering courses, which has taken some aspect of Shrimad Bhagwat Gita.

(c) to (e) The matter relating to the 'Need to include the sacred Shrimad Bhagwat Gita in school and college curriculum' was raised in the Lok Sabha under Rule 377 on 23.09.2020. The Hon'ble Member of Parliament has been informed of the factual position.

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