Dehradun, July 16 -- Uttarakhand Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat on Wednesday said that the state government has asked the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to include the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana in the syllabus of 17,000 government schools.

"In a meeting of the Education department with the Chief Minister, we have tasked NCERT to include Bhagavad Gita and Ramayana in the syllabus to be taught in 17,000 government schools of Uttarakhand," Rawat told ANI.

He added that until the new syllabus is introduced, students will recite verses from these texts during daily prayer sessions.

"Until this is implemented, verses from the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana will be included in the daily prayer meetings...