 bill  no 258 of  2018 the compulsory teaching of knowledge traditions and practices of india in educational institutions bill,  2018 by shri parvesh sahib singh, mp a billto provide for compulsory teaching of knowledge traditions and practices of india as aco-curricular subject from classes vii to x in school education in india in order toenable students to know and understand india's glorious culture and traditionsand foster, strengthen and maintain indian culture and its civilizationalstrength and for matters connected therewith or incidental theretobe it enacted by parliament in the sixty-ninth year of  the republic of india as follows:—definitions2 in this act, unless the context otherwise requires,—(a) "appropriate government" means in the case of a state, the government of that state and in all other cases, the central government;5(b) "committee" means the committee on cultural education constituted undersection 4;(c) "conventional methods" means regular mode of teaching with help of textbook and written examination;10(d) "educational institution" means an institution imparting primary, middle, secondary or higher secondary level education to children by whatever name such institution is called, but does not include a minority educational institution;(e) "innovative methods" mean audio visuals, story-telling, poetry, skit and drama, debates, discussions, field visits, project work and similar kind of activities;(f) "internal assessment" means assessment and examination of student's progress by internal staff of the school;15(g) "knowledge traditions and practices of india" means the subject of knowledge traditions and practices of india taught as an optional subject in classes xi and xii in schools under the central board of secondary education;(h) "practical assessment" means assessing through project works, assignments, group discussions or any kind of relevant method other than written examination; and20(i) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this act3 (1) from such date as the central government may, by notification in the official gazette, specify, the knowledge traditions and practices of india shall be taught from classes vii to x as a part of their curriculum in all educational institutions affiliated to the central board of secondary educationcompulsory teaching of knowledge traditions and practices of india25(2) the curriculum and examination of compulsory teaching of knowledge traditions and practices of india shall differ from conventional methods of teaching followed for other subjects(3) the compulsory teaching of knowledge traditions and practices of india shall be taught completely in a student friendly and with innovative and practical methods30(4) there shall be no written examination for the knowledge traditions and practices of india and the progress of a student shall be measured through practical assessment modes only(5) for secondary school certificate examination (ssc) marks for the knowledge traditions and practices of india shall be awarded through internal assessment35(6) for classes xi and xii, the subject of knowledge traditions and practices of india shall continue to be offered as an optional subject for students of all streams in educational institution affiliated with central board of secondary education in india40constitution of committee on cultural education4 (1) the central government shall, by notification in the official gazette, constitute a committee to be known as the committee on cultural education for the purpose of reviewing and re-framing a larger curriculum for the existing subject knowledge traditions and practices of india(2) the committee shall review and include new activities in the syllabus of the subject based on its existing theme45(3) the committee shall function under the purview of ministry of human resource development, government of india(4) the committee shall consist of—(a) a chairperson to be appointed by the central government in such manner as may be prescribed;5(b) secretary, union ministry of human resource development—member-secretary;(c) secretary, union ministry of culture—member, ex-officio;(d) one member representing each of the following institutions, namely:—(i) national council of educational research and training (ncert); (ii) central board of secondary education (cbse);10(iii) national council for teacher education (ncte); (iv) archaeological survey of india; (v) indian council for cultural relations; (vi) centre for cultural resources and training; (vii) indira gandhi national centre for arts;15(viii) indian national trust for arts and cultural heritage; (ix) national mission for manuscripts; and (x) sahitya akademi;20(e) three eminent scholars having extensive teaching or research experience in the fields such as ancient history, indian philosophy and subaltern studies to be appointed by the central government in such manner as may be prescribed;(f) four renowned artists having experience of not less than twenty years in the field of performing arts such as indian dance, indian music, indian theatre and indian painting to the appointed by the central government in such manner as may be prescribed; and25(g) one eminent person having knowledge and practical experience in the fieldof psychology, pedagogy and teaching aptitude to be appointed by the central government in such manner as may be prescribed(5) the committee shall submit its report to the union ministry of human resource development, government of india within one year from the date of its constitution(6) the committee shall meet at least for five times in a year30(7) the committee shall meet at such time and places and shall observe such rules of procedure in regard to the transaction of business at its meetings as may be prescribed355 notwithstanding anything contained in this act, the provisions of this act shall apply to minority institutions only if the management of such institutions convey to the appropriate government their willingness to include the teaching of environmental education text books in their school curriculumapplication of act on minority educational institutions in certain situations6 the central government shall, after due appropriation made by parliament by law in this behalf, provide adequate funds to the committee on cultural education for carrying out the purposes of this actcentral government to provide fund407 the provisions of this act shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistenttherewith contained in any other law for the time being in forceoverriding effect of the actpower to remove difficutly8 if any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of this act, the central government may make such order or give such direction, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, as may appear to be necessary or expedient for removing the difficulty:5provided that no such order shall be made after the expiry of the period of two years from the date of commencement of this actpower to make rules9 (1) the central government may, by notification in the official gazette, make rules for carrying out the purposes of this act10(2) every rule made under this section shall be laid, as soon as may be after it is made, before each house of parliament, while it is in session, for a total period of thirty days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions, and if, before the expiry of the session immediately following the session or the successive sessions aforesaid, both houses agree in making any modification in the rule or both the houses agree that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be; so, however, that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule15 statement of objects and reasonsindian culture and traditions have been the core intellectual strength of india since ages the diversity and depth of our culture and knowledge traditions is established to be the richest in the world when indian culture has influenced and gained attention of scholars from across the world since ages, it is important for own children to know and understand how magnificent and glorious our knowledge traditions and cultural practices have been since ancient times although a glimpse of that is provided in the subjects of social sciences, it is not sufficient for them to understand such a humongous culture and knowledge system there needs to be a stand-alone study involving historical, sociological, anthropological, psychological, philosophical and analytical approaches for understanding our culture, traditions and knowledge systemsthe central board of secondary education had introduced an elective subject"knowledge traditions and practices of india" for classes xi and xii in the year 2002 the subject received an overwhelming response from educationist and teaching community all over the country the subject aims for the student to understand intellectual achievements of indian culture and knowledge traditions in ancient india they can be found in several fields of study ranging from scriptual, philosophical, scientific, technical, artistic and religious sources it also aims to highlight the multiplicity of thoughts, languages, lifestyles and scientific, artistic and philosophical perceptions in india the rich classical literacy sources of india are repositories of  much of ancient wisdom and large stock of collective folklore imaginationthe need is to extend the subject "knowledge traditions and practices of india" for classes vii to x which is currently offered as an optional subject for classes xi and xii by central board of secondary education this subject shall be taught in classes vii to x in schools affiliated to central board of secondary education in india the curriculum and teaching methods for this subject friendly, innovative and practical methods such as audio visuals, story-telling, poetry, skit and drama, debates, discussions, field visits, project works or any kind of such activities there will be no written examination for this subject and the progress of a student will be measured through practical assessment methods for secondary school certificate examination (ssc), marks shall be awarded through internal assessment for classes xi and xii, this subject shall continue to be offered as an optional subject for students of all streams in schools affiliated to central board of secondary education in indiathe need is also to constitute a high level committee for the purpose of reviewing and reframing the curriculum for the existing subject "knowledge traditions and practices" the committee shall include members from wide backgrounds having relevant knowledge and experience with regard to indian culture and knowledge traditions the syllabus of the subject shall be enlarged based on the existing theme of the subjectefforts are required to make the subject fun-loving, interesting and yet productive it intends to shape the curriculum for this subject in such a manner that it does not add any kind of burden on students it seeks to empower students by giving them realization of how great, diverse and magnanimous our culture is even in practical terms the multi-disciplinary nature of this subject offers a bed-rock foundation for students to excel in any field that they choose for their professional careers moreover, it exposes students to  india's such a rich and diverse field of performing arts, handicrafts, temperature and much more which can further widen their career optionsthe comprehensive approach of the proposed bill is to make students learn, know and understand our culture and knowledge traditions so that we can foster, strengthen and maintain the richness and pride of indian culture this will foster cultural affinity among our citizens and also help india remain a strong cultural force in the worldhence this billnew delhi; parvesh sahib singhnovember 27, 2018 financial memorandumclause 4 of the bill provides for constitution of committee on cultural education for the purpose of reviewing and re-framing a larger curriculum for the existing subject knowledge traditions and practices of india it also provides for appointment of a chairperson, eminent scholars, renowned artists and eminent persons in the committee clause 6 provides for payment of adequate funds to the states for carrying out the purpose of the act the bill, therefore, if enacted, would involve expenditure from the consolidated fund of india it is estimated that a recurring expediture of about rupees one hundred crore will be involved per annum from the consolidated fund of indiaa non-recurring expenditure of about rupees fifty crore is also likely to be involved memorandum regarding delegated legislationclause 9 of the bill empowers the central government to make rules for carrying out the purposes of the bill as the rules will relate to matters of detail only, the delegation of legislative power is of a normal character lok sabha———— a bill to provide for compulsory teaching of knowledge traditions and practices of india as aco-curricular subject from classes vii to x in school education in india in order toenable students to know and understand india's glorious culture and traditionsand foster, strengthen and maintain indian culture and its civilizationalstrength and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto————(shri parvesh sahib singh, mp)