India's Historical Meridian and New NCERT Changes

The new NCERT Class-6 textbook covers India's historical prime meridian, Madhya Rekha, passing through Ujjain. It also introduces several changes, such as tweaks in caste-related content, rebranding the Harappan civilization, and minimizing references to key historical figures and dynasties. The textbook aims to focus on big ideas while covering history, geography, and civics.

India had its prime meridian, known as Madhya Rekha, long before the Greenwich Meridian. This meridian passed through Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, according to the new Class-6 NCERT textbook for social science.

The textbook includes notable changes, such as reducing caste-based references and rebranding the Harappan civilization as 'Sindhu-Sarasvati.' This new curriculum developed under NCERT aims to focus on major themes rather than detailed historical accounts.

The textbook consolidates history, geography, and civics into one volume, omitting extensive details on ancient Indian kingdoms and key historical figures like Ashoka and Chandragupta Maurya. The NCERT Director, Dinesh Saklani, states that this approach allows for a streamlined focus on 'big ideas' from various disciplines.