No reference to meat, fish, and eggs in ‘Balanced Diet’ chapter in NCERT’s Kannada textbook

Former School Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa has expressed strong objections to the title of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) class 6 ‘R3’ Kannada textbook and its controversial content.

Posting on social media, he said, “The idea of God and religion in this book is an insult to the identity of Kannada and is also political and cultural oppression.”

“The NCERT has recently released the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) class 6 Kannada textbook, titled Krishna, a name completely disconnected from our language and context. Despite the availability of highly relevant textbooks like Savi Kannada, Siri Kannada, and Thili Kannada, published by the DSERT, the NCERT chose to ignore them entirely, releasing a textbook that offends the very identity of Kannada,” he stated.

Further, he objected that in the chapter on a ‘Balanced Diet,’ references to meat, fish, and eggs have been deliberately omitted, mentioning only vegetarian options. “The NCERT immediately withdraw this textbook. They must collaborate with our DSERT to design a new curriculum that truly reflects the culture, traditions, and literary-cultural heritage of this soil, and provide it to our students without delay,” he urged.