Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday expressed concern over the exclusion of the 1817 Paika Rebellion from the latest Class 8 history textbook released by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Calling it a "watershed moment in Odisha's history," Patnaik said the move undermines the sacrifices of the Paikas, who revolted against British rule nearly four decades before the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny.
"I had urged the Government of India several times to declare it as the first war of Independence. The omission of the epic rebellion from NCERT textbooks is a huge dishonour to our brave Paikas, 200 years after the rebellion," Patnaik said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). He urged Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to ensure justice is done to the Paika Bidroha and to the people of Odisha.
However, NCERT issued a clarification on Monday night, stating that the recently released Exploring Society: India and Beyond is the first in a two-volume Social Science textbook series for Class 8. The council confirmed that regional resistance movements, including the Paika Rebellion of Odisha and the Kuka Movement of Punjab, will be included in the second volume, which is currently in its final stages and expected to be released between September and October 2025.
In a detailed press note dated July 16, 2025, NCERT said the new textbook has been developed in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023. It aims to offer students an integrated, multidisciplinary understanding of India's geography, economic life, governance, and history-covering the period from the 13th century to the mid-19th century.
NCERT stated that the book was designed to avoid overloading students with information and instead focuses on fostering critical thinking.
"All facts presented are based on well-known primary and secondary academic sources. A note titled 'History's Darker Period' has also been included on page 20 to help learners view the content in the right context," the council said.
