New Delhi, July 16 -- The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday directed the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to incorporate the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana in the syllabus of 17,000 government schools in the state.

Meanwhile, the NCERT has revised the Class 8 social science textbook, pointing out many instances of "religious intolerance" during the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal period era, but with a disclaimer.

"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," Uttarakhand Education Minister Dhan Singh Rawat told ANI. He added that until the new syllabus is...