Chhattisgarh to distribute booklets on Constitution among students

The booklet for class 1 to class 8 will focus on the basic features of the Constitution. The officials said the printing of the booklets was going on and their distribution will be done before their inclusion in the school curriculum

The Chhattisgarh government plans to distribute around 5.7 million booklets on the Constitution among class 1 to 12 students free of cost in the next academic to raise awareness about constitutionalism, officials aware of the matter said. The booklet for class 1 to class 8 will focus on the basic features of the Constitution.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. (File photo)

The officials said the printing of the booklets was going on and their distribution will be done before their inclusion in the school curriculum.

At a special assembly session to mark Constitution Day in 2019, the Chhattisgarh government announced its plans to provide these booklets to students.

Chhattisgarh Textbook Corporation chairman Shailesh Nitin Trivedi said the booklets will cost ₹8.40 crore. He added they are spending their profits on the booklets. “The students of today are leaders of tomorrow and it is very important for them to understand the constitutional values. Thorough knowledge of the Constitution will ensure their understanding of the functioning of democracy and strengthen their trust in it.”

Parivesh Mishra, a political commentator, said the Constitution came into force in 1950, but no organised effort has been made to educate the masses about it.

“As the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in many states, it tried to bring changes to school syllabus and textbooks. Interpretation of what the Congress sees as the core provisions like secularism became the prime targets,” Mishra said.

Mishra said for the first time in Congress’s history, it has launched a department focussed on the 10-17-year age group. “The idea is to inculcate respect among them for the Constitution and the values that would make them responsible and informed citizens. A pilot project under the banner Jawahar Bal Manch is running in a few states including Chhattisgarh. The latest move of the Chhattisgarh government to make the study of the Constitution in schools mandatory seems an extension of the same idea and is laudable.”