Pioneer In Short

NCERT Reverses Dancing Girl Edit

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will replace the modified image of the iconic Mohenjo-daro "Dancing Girl" figurine in its Class 9 Arts textbook with the original version following criticism from academics and historians. The controversy arose after the bronze Indus Valley Civilisation artefact was depicted with its bare torso visually covered in the opening chapter of Madhurima, NCERT's new Class 9 Arts textbook. Critics argued that the alteration misrepresented one of India's most recognisable archaeological treasures.

Wholesale inflation hits record high

India's wholesale price inflation surged to a record 9.68 per cent in May from 8.26 per cent in April, driven by a sharp rise in fuel and power costs amid global energy disruptions linked to the West Asia conflict. The May reading is the highest under the revised Wholesale Price Index (WPI) series, which now uses 2022-23 as the base year instead of 2011-12. The government has also expanded the WPI basket from 697 to 957 items, adding renewable and nuclear energy sources. Fuel and power inflation climbed to 30.33 per cent in May from 24.89 per cent in April, while inflation in crude petroleum rose to 61.51 per cent. Food inflation also edged up to 3.60 per cent.