In a major update by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the NCERT has revised its Class 7 textbooks. The curriculum for English and Social Science subjects has been updated to focus more on Indian culture, heritage, and current national issues.

Key Additions in NCERT textbooks

How the Land Becomes Sacred: A chapter in the Social Science textbooktitleds 'How the Land Becomes Sacred'. The newly added chapter introduces students to sacred geographies across multiple religions practised in India. It covers prominent pilgrimage sites such as the Char Dham, Jyotirlingas, and Shakti Peethas, along with spiritual locations significant to Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and other religions.
National Initiatives- The revised curriculum also incorporates some national initiatives like 'Make in India', 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao', and infrastructure achievements such as the 'Atal Tunnel'. The idea of adding it is to bridge the gap between textbooks and real-world developments.
Maha Kumbh- The textbook also references the recent Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, noting that nearly 660 million people participated.
The book also has a chapter on the Constitution of India, which mentions that there was a time when people were not allowed to fly the national flag at their homes.
"This changed in 2004 when a citizen felt it was his right to express pride in his country and challenged the rule in court. The Supreme Court agreed, saying that flying the flag is part of the Fundamental Right to Freedom of Expression. We can now fly the tricolour with pride, keeping in mind that it should never be dishonoured," the chapter read.
In the English textbook "Poorvi," out of 15 stories, poems, and narrative pieces, nine are by Indian writers or feature content and characters that are Indian, including works by Rabindranath Tagore, APJ Abdul Kalam, and Ruskin Bond. The earlier textbook called "Honeycomb" had 17 stories, poems, and other writings, including four by Indian writers.
(With inputs from PTI)