New Delhi , July 21 : The Centre on Thursday said that it is for the states to decide whether they want ‘Bhagavad Gita’ to be taught in schools or not.

Minister of State (HRD), Upendra Kushwaha yesterday gave written reply to a Rajya Sabha question stating that content related to ‘ Bhagavad Gita’ is already included in the National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT)’s Class XII Sanskrit text book, namely, Shashwati, Part-II (Chapter IV: Karma Gauravam) since 2007-08.

Kushwaha further said that, “the National Curriculum Framework-2005 brought out by NCERT states that to strengthen our cultural heritage and national identity, the curriculum should enable the younger generation to reinterpret and re-evaluate the part with reference to new priorities and emerging outlooks of a changing societal context”.

The document further stated that the cultural diversity of this land should continue to be treasured as our special attribute.

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 Territories to decide about the subjects to be taught in their schools keeping in view the National Curriculum Framework (NCF). (ANI)