"There Is No Difference Between India and Bharat": Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan Thursday said there are a bunch of small minded people in the society who are in process of disrupting the concept of Bharat. He further adds, "There is no difference between India and Bharat." This came after a seven-member committee for Social Sciences recommended NCERT to consider replacing the name ‘India’ with ‘Bharat’ in textbooks and introduce ‘classical History’ instead of ancient History in the curriculum.

The education minister was speaking while inaugurating the western zone vice chancellors’ conference on the implementation of NEP 2020 in Gujarat’s Kevadiya in the Narmada district. This was the first zonal conference held in Gujarat.

Debate over ‘Bharat’

Referring to the knowledge system of India, the Union Minister said there is a debate over ‘Bharat’ or India going on for a few days. “What is the difference? There is no difference. Bharat is the name of this country. During the colonial period, people who read English literature gave the country the name India and we in our Constitution have given significance to both Bharat and India,” he stated.

"Bharat is an Indian name; the original name. It has been so since the introduction of the civilisation but today, in the minds of a few frustrated people, there is a competition to dispute it and it is a small section of people,” he added.

Pradhan also spoke about the priority areas, including Indian languages. “Our languages have never been a hindrance in the development of civilization. All languages in India are national languages. Because of technology, there are no challenges.

Skilling is another priority area. If we convert the samajik parampara (social traditions) of the Gujarat and Maharashtra models of job creations into academics, it will be one of the best practices,” Pradhan said.