JAMMU – The Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) has introduced a chapter on J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 in the political science textbooks for class 10, an official said on Saturday.
The book (Social Science Democratic Politics-II) concludes with an Addendum on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 under chapter eight of Unit IV.
The centre had on August 5 last year revoked provisions of Article 370 which guaranteed special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The Centre’s announcement proceeded strict curbs across Jammu and Kashmir to maintain law and order. The restrictions were, however, eased out in a phased manner to a large extent as the time passed.
However, three former Chief Ministers — National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti — and scores of other leaders continue to be under detention, while the internet speed is still restricted to 2G.
The academic session for class 10 started across Kashmir and winter zones of Jammu region with the opening of schools in the last week of February. The examination for class 10 is underway in summer zone Jammu where the new session starts in April.
The particular chapter talks about the resolution passed in both houses of Parliament on August 5 last year followed by a Presidential order the next day declaring all the clauses of Article 370 except clause (1) to be inoperative.
It effectively ended the special rights and privileges given to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir and the restrictions on people from outside to buy immovable property or apply for jobs in the state government
The act came into effect on October 31 last year and reconstituted the erstwhile state into two UTs while placing the region under the direct control and supervision of Central government.
The chapter also talks about instrument of Accession (IOA) that was executed by the then ruler of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir Maharaja Hari Singh on October 26, 1947 and subsequent incorporation of Article 370 in the constitution conferring certain powers like separate constitution, state flag, autonomy over the internal administration.
It also briefly mentions Article 35-A which empowered the J&K state legislature to define the status of permanent residents of the state.
In the provisions of the Act, it speaks about the formation of UT of Ladakh without legislature, UT of Jammu and Kashmir with a legislative assembly having 107 seats, out of which 24 shall be reserved for residents of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
It also talks about reservation for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, OBCs and others as per the central government’s rules, and application of Central laws, common high court for both UTs and representation in parliament.
Class 10 paper mentions `Azad Kashmir’, 2 officials suspended
The opposition BJP on Saturday hit out at the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh after a class 10 question paper of the state board referred to Pakistan-controlled -Kashmir (PcK) as “Azad Kashmir”.
The term appeared in the class 10 social science paper of the Madhya Pradesh Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE), the exam for which was conducted on Saturday morning.
Azad Kashmir is the term used by Pakistan to refer to PcK.
After the controversy broke out, two officials were suspended on the directives of Chief Minister Kamal Nath, an MPBSE official said. The two questions were also canceled.
One of the questions asked the candidates to identify “Azad Kashmir” on the map. The term also occurred in a match- a-pair question.
Speaking to PTI, state BJP spokesperson Rajnish Agrawal, who shared image of the question paper on Twitter, said, “Kashmir is an integral part of India. The Indian government has passed a resolution to this effect. Has Madhya Pradesh’s Congress regime recognized Azad Kashmir?”
He also alleged that senior Congress leaders use the “same terminology” as do Pakistan and separatists.
He also demanded that a sedition case be registered against the person responsible for this gaffe.
Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja said chief minister Nath expressed anger over the incident. On Nath’s orders, two officials were suspended, Saluja added.
An MPBSE official said the paper setter and the moderator were suspended and disciplinary action would be taken against them.
The questions in which the term Azad Kashmir figured were canceled and the social science paper would thus carry 90 instead of 100 marks, he added.
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