Archive · 4 Oct 2026
NCERT Class 9 Textbook Adds Chapter on Startups
NCERT has added a chapter about starting businesses to a new Class 9 Social Science textbook.
The chapter explains how people find business ideas and learn what customers may want.
It also describes how to plan a business and understand its different parts.
Students learn that artificial intelligence can help people study markets and make business decisions.
The book says India now has nearly 2.3 lakh startups and other startup enterprises, compared with about 350–400 a decade ago.
It shares the story of seven women who began making papads in Mumbai in 1959 with borrowed supplies.
It also tells how Mohan Singh Oberoi started with a salary of Rs 50 and later built a hotel business.
These stories show students examples of how businesses can begin and grow.
NCERT's new Class 9 Social Science textbook includes a chapter called “From Ideas to Startups.”
The chapter covers business opportunities, market understanding, business planning and India's startup ecosystem.
It also discusses how artificial intelligence can help with market analysis and business decisions.
The textbook says India’s startup ecosystem grew from around 350–400 startups a decade ago to nearly 2.3 lakh enterprises.
Entrepreneur stories include the seven women who started Lijjat Papad in 1959 and hotelier Mohan Singh Oberoi.
- Who
- The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) introduced the chapter for Class 9 students.
- What
- A new chapter, “From Ideas to Startups,” teaches entrepreneurship and business planning.
- When
- The chapter is in the new textbook; no publication date is specified in the articles.
- Where
- In NCERT's Social Science textbook, “Understanding Society: India and Beyond - Part 2,” in India.
- Why
- To introduce students to entrepreneurship, business opportunities, planning, India's startup ecosystem and AI's role in business decisions.
Reported textbook content
Limits of available detail
Startup ecosystem figures
Reported textbook content
The textbook is reported to say that India has nearly 2.3 lakh enterprises, up from around 350–400 startups about a decade ago.
Limits of available detail
The articles provide no independent verification or further explanation of how the figures are counted.
Chapter coverage
Reported textbook content
NCERT's post says the chapter covers opportunities, markets, planning, India's startup ecosystem, AI and entrepreneur stories.
Limits of available detail
Some additional chapter details are attributed to reports, and the articles do not reproduce the full chapter.
- Textbook
- Understanding Society: India and Beyond - Part 2
- Chapter
- From Ideas to Startups
- Intended students
- Class 9
- Startup ecosystem figures cited
- Around 350–400 startups about a decade ago; nearly 2.3 lakh enterprises now
- Lijjat Papad origin story
- Seven women began making papads in Mumbai in 1959, using Rs 80 in borrowed capital, according to the article.
- Mohan Singh Oberoi
- The textbook says he began his working life on a salary of Rs 50 and later built an extensive hotel business.