Bhubaneswar: Amid strong reactions and criticism, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on Monday issued a clarification regarding the exclusion of Odisha’s historic Paika Rebellion from the newly released Class VIII Social Science textbook.

Acknowledging the removal, NCERT explained that the regional resistance movement will be included in the upcoming second volume of the textbook "Exploring Society: India and Beyond", which is currently under development and expected to be released by September or October 2025.

"The textbook happens to be the 1st volume of this textbook. The 2nd volume is in final stages of development and is expected to be released in September-October 2025. Topics relating to the regional resistance movements/armed uprisings such as the Paika rebellion/Khurda uprising of Odisha, the Kuka movement/rebellion of the Sikhs in Punjab etc, will be handled in this volume," the NCERT stated.

NCERT, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Education, recently faced backlash following the release of the first volume of the textbook, which omitted the 1817 Paika Rebellion, believed to be India’s first armed uprising against British colonial rule. The move sparked political controversy and public criticism, with several voices questioning the BJP-led Central Government’s stance on preserving 'Odia Asmita'.