The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Thursday rejected allegations of religious and dietary bias in its newly introduced Class 6 Kannada third-language textbook, Krishna, asserting that the content neither promotes vegetarianism nor discriminates against non-vegetarian food habits.

In a clarification issued amid the controversy in Karnataka, NCERT said the textbook’s chapter on nutrition advocates a balanced diet and explicitly mentions that good health depends on nutritious food, exercise and cleanliness. It said the lesson includes references to milk, green leafy vegetables, fruits and other food items as part of a healthy diet, while an accompanying illustration features both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items. The council maintained that claims suggesting the book endorses vegetarianism are “baseless” and do not reflect the actual content.

Responding to criticism over the title Krishna, NCERT said the name was inspired by the Krishna River, one of the major rivers flowing through Karnataka, and not by Lord Krishna. It added that naming language textbooks after Indian rivers is a consistent convention, citing examples such as Ganga for Hindi, Kaveri for English and Jamuna for Urdu.

The clarification came after education rights groups and members of the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) alleged that the textbook reflected attempts to “saffronise” the curriculum under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. They argued that the title overlooked Karnataka’s cultural identity and questioned the limited representation of the state’s diverse food traditions, claiming the nutrition lesson failed to adequately acknowledge non-vegetarian diets. KDA also disputed NCERT’s assertion that the textbook illustration represented non-vegetarian food, stating that it only included eggs and not fish or meat.

The controversy erupted earlier this week after the People’s Alliance for Fundamental Rights to Education (PAFRE) and other organisations objected to the Class 6 Kannada textbook, alleging that it prioritised religious symbolism and presented a narrow view of Karnataka’s cultural and dietary diversity. They demanded that NCERT revise both the title and portions of the textbook.

The latest row adds to a series of debates surrounding NCERT’s textbook revisions in recent years. Changes introduced under the National Education Policy 2020, including revised content and new textbook titles, have frequently drawn criticism from opposition parties, educationists and civil society groups, while NCERT has maintained that the revisions are aimed at reducing curriculum load and improving educational outcomes.

(Inputs from The New Indian Express)

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