NCERT textbooks have included references to Srimad Bhagavad Gita in Class VI and VII and its shlokas in Sanskrit textbooks of Classes XI and XII, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday, December 19.

In a written reply, the Minister of State for Education, Annapurna Devi, said the ministry had established the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) Division in All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2020 with a vision to promote interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research on all aspects of Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS), preserve and disseminate IKS knowledge for further research and societal applications.

She said the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) had initiated the development of National Curriculum Frameworks where inputs are invited from various stakeholders, including various ministries, departments, states and Union Territories drawing from grass root levels.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 Para 4.27 refers to the traditional knowledge of India that is both sustainable and strives for the welfare of all, she added. "To become the knowledge power in this century, we must understand our heritage and teach the world the 'Indian way' of doing things," she added.