Maharashtra Class X textbook gifts Arunachal to China, to be changed

After a furore over the error, the Maharashtra state education board has promised to rectify a mistake in the Class X textbooks which shows Arunachal Pradesh as a part of  Chinese territory.

The north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh is ‘missing’ from the map of India in the state education board’s geography textbooks in a chapter titled ‘India and its neighbouring countries’ for Class X students, the Times of India reports .

China has often claimed Arunachal Pradesh as part of its territory, a claim that India has always rejected. Indian officials in the past have taken action against foreign publications for their depiction of the Indian map in which a part of Kashmir was shown as being occupied by Pakistan.

Following the gaffe, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) has apologised for the error and promised to take action against those responsible for the error in the textbooks.

According to an Indian Express report_,_ the board has instructed the Balbharti depots in the state to stop the sale of the books.  It will make the changes in the unsold copies before the start of the next academic year.

“Action will be taken against all, including the printer, publishers, editors/pagemakers,” says Krishna B Patil, MSBSHSE secretary was quoted as saying. He claimed the error had taken place when the size of the map was reduced from its original size.

While 1.17 lakh textbooks in English and 4.71 lakh in Marathi containing the map have already been sold, the mistake will be rectified in about 1.2 lakh in English versions and around 8.71 lakh Marathi ones that are still to be sold.

The board has also said it might replace the incorrect textbooks or ask schools to get students to correct the mistake.