Wed Jul 16 22:21:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the NCERT textbook changes, designed with an Indian perspective in mind:

**NCERT Textbook Revision Highlights India’s Colonial Exploitation and Maratha Legacy**

**New Delhi, July 17, 2025:** A newly revised Class 8 Social Science textbook from the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) is making waves by taking a more critical look at India’s colonial history and highlighting the contributions of the Maratha Empire. The textbook, introduced for the 2025-26 academic year, emphasizes the “drain of wealth” from India during British rule, referencing historian Will Durant’s term “stolen wealth from India.”

The text asserts that the Industrial Revolution in Britain was fueled, in part, by wealth extracted from India. It cites Indian economist Utsa Patnaik’s estimate of $45 trillion USD (approximately 13 times Britain’s GDP in 2023) being drained from India between 1765 and 1938. This extraction, according to the text, occurred not just through taxes but also by charging Indians for colonial infrastructure projects and wars.

Michel Danino, Head of NCERT’s Curricular Area Group for Social Science, told The Hindu that the goal is to correct the previously common portrayal of colonial rule as a positive force. The new textbook aims to showcase the destruction of India’s industries and education system alongside the better-known introductions of railways and the telegraph. The book acknowledges some of the good things that happened in the country while under British rule, like, the country’s exposure to the outside world.

Furthermore, the textbook tackles the role of Christianization in European expansion and points to instances of religious persecution during Portuguese rule and actions by French colonial administrators. It also emphasizes the dismantling of indigenous governance and educational systems by the British. It states that these systems were replaced with ones that alienated Indians and created lasting divisions within society.

In a significant departure from previous editions, the new NCERT textbook dedicates an entire chapter to “The Rise of the Marathas.” This chapter emphasizes the importance of the Maratha empire in Indian history. The chapter refers to Shivaji’s naval prowess and describes Ahilyabai Holkar’s role in rebuilding temples destroyed by Mughal rulers. The Mughals are described as “brutal” in the textbook.

The NCERT released a statement emphasizing that all facts are based on reputable academic sources, and that a “note on history’s darker period” has been included to prevent prejudice. The textbook revision reflects a broader effort to provide a more balanced and comprehensive understanding of India’s past from an Indian perspective. The textbook hopes to promote holistic learning among students.

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