NCERT Class 9 book calls NEP 2020 ‘excellent' case of policymaking, ‘Ram Rajya’ model of good governance

New Delhi: The new NCERT Class 9 Social Science textbook describes the Narendra Modi government’s flagship policies, including National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and Khelo Bharat Niti 2025, as examples of “good governance” and as developed through “consultation, expert advice and public participation”.

The book—Understanding Society: India and Beyond, Part 2—went on sale Tuesday, and has a chapter called ‘Governance and Public Policy’, which cites the Sanskrit saying “Prajasukhe sukham rajnah, prajanam cha hite hitam”, which translates to “in the happiness of the people lies the happiness of the ruler, and in the interest of the people lies the interest of the ruler”.

The chapter also traces the evolution of governance in India, from colonial institutions to the ancient ideal of ‘Ram Rajya’, which it describes as “one of the best examples of good governance and a good collective life”.

The chapter also stresses that governance is not the government’s responsibility alone. Citizens, elected representatives, the media, civil society and the private sector all have roles to play in ensuring effective governance and public welfare.

NEP 2020: ‘Excellent example’ of consultation

The textbook describes the NEP 2020 as an “excellent example of how public policy is developed through consultation, expert advice, and public participation”.

It traces the process to 2015 when the Centre began work on a new education policy, and notes that an expert committee headed by scientist K. Kasturirangan was constituted in 2017.

It says the committee included experts from education, science, technology, social sciences and public administration, while the draft policy was opened for feedback from citizens and stakeholders.

According to the textbook, 2.5 lakh gram panchayats, 6,600 blocks, 6,000 urban local bodies and 676 districts were consulted during the process, with about two lakh suggestions received.

“Several recommendations from citizens and institutions were incorporated” before the final policy was prepared, the book says.

However, the NEP 2020 has faced opposition from several states, which have criticised it as a unilateral policy. Its implementation has been a point of contention between the Centre and states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and, earlier, West Bengal under the Trinamool Congress government.

For Khelo Bharat Niti 2025, the textbook shifts focus from policymaking to implementation, saying its success depends on coordination between “states, districts, local bodies, schools, coaches, families, and athletes”.

It mentions the policy outlined in a section titled “Policy coordination: Key to good governance”.

It quotes the policy as saying: “Strengthening the sporting culture and ecosystem from the block level to the national level is a key focus of the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025.”

The book also mentions another flagship scheme, the “Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana”, and asks students to explore the benefits of the scheme.

From colonial institutions to ‘Ram Rajya’

The book says Mahatma Gandhi visualised “Ram Rajya” as an ideal model of governance, rooted in “probity, transparency, compassion, welfare, and people-centric orientation in governance and public policy”.

It says Gandhi’s idea reflects the “collective imagination of Indians” from the distant past to the present, and describes Ram Rajya as “one of the best examples of good governance and a good collective life”, as represented in the Ramayana and the 16th-century Ramcharitmanas.

The book adds that, from the Vedic period to the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Indian traditions viewed governance as a “sacred responsibility” rather than merely a means of exercising power.

It explains this through the concept of Rajadharma, described as the foremost duty of an ideal king: to protect the people by upholding Dharma or righteous duty and promote the welfare of society.

The chapter traces India’s governance institutions from their colonial legacy to pre-colonial traditions and the values of the Constitution, arguing that modern Indian institutions have continued to draw on older ideas of governance.

It says colonial powers imposed their models of governance on societies that had previously followed “local and organic systems”, while many colonial institutions continued after Independence.

India, the textbook says, retained knowledge of its pre-colonial institutions and traditions through texts and practices, while the Constitution was framed after 1947 in keeping with “India’s own values and ideals”.

The chapter cites ‘Satyameva Jayate’, taken from the Mundaka Upanishad, as the national motto, replacing the British-era “Heaven’s Light, Our Guide”, and notes that the Supreme Court’s motto, “Yato Dharmastato Jayah”, or“Where there is Dharma, there is victory”, is drawn from the Mahabharata.

It also highlights the Sengol, describing it as a “cultural marker of rulership and good governance”, and notes that Prime Minister Narendra Modi installed it in the new Parliament building in 2023.

The book traces the tradition to the Chola dynasty and says Jawaharlal Nehru received the Sengol from Shaivite Adheenam saints in Tamil Nadu at the time of Independence.

(Edited by Sugita Katyal)

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