Arunachal Pradesh map goof-up: New textbook panel soon, says Rajendra Darda

MUMBAI: Terming the omission of Arunachal Pradesh from the map of India in the 10th standard geography textbook as serious, school education minister Rajendra Darda today said a new textbook subject experts' panel would be appointed within one-and-a-half months.


"This was a serious lapse," the minister said in the state Assembly after BJP MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar, during Question Hour, drew his attention to the gaffe and sought to know what action has been taken on the issue.

"We have been informed that there was error in only one of the nine maps and it was due to technical reasons," Darda said.

"We will appoint subject experts in the panel so that such a mistake is avoided," he said.

Responding to the demand for lodging a police case, Darda said an FIR would be filed in the matter.

Mungantiwar also demanded that those responsible for the goof up face an offence of treason, to which the minister said law and judiciary department would look into it.

In a major gaffe, the north-eastern state was omitted from the map of India in the textbook, printed by Balbharti, bureau of textbook production, and used by more than 15 lakh students affiliated to the Maharashtra State Board.

The erroneous map showed Arunachal Pradesh as not only "missing" from the country's territorial domain, but also as being part of Chinese territory.

The state government had sought a clarification from the Chairman of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education.

Earlier, the minister had informed the state Legislative Council that the Board had terminated the studies' committee for geography and some other subjects.