NCERT’s latest Class 9 Social Science textbooks now include dedicated chapters on personal finance and entrepreneurship, and Sanjeev Sanyal, Member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, is highlighting them. The new material, in the Grade 9 Social Science Part 2 book, is designed to give students practical financial knowledge and entrepreneurial skills from an early age.

Sanyal shared photographs of the textbook pages on X. In one post, he laid out what the economics section now covers for students. "The economics segment of the recently introduced NCERT textbooks for Social Science (Grade 9, Part 2) now has a chapter on personal finance. Students are taught the basics of fixed deposits, mutual funds, EMIs, taxes, risk-return and so on. The idea is to provide them with useful life skills."

What the personal finance chapter teaches

The textbook introduces Chapter 5, titled ‘Managing Your Personal Finances’. The chapter explains why money management matters and why people should make informed financial decisions. It covers saving, investing, protecting assets and paying income tax.

It also asks students to think about their own money. Pocket money or gifts they receive can be spent, saved or set aside for future needs, and the chapter encourages them to consider which choice they make and why. Financial planning, according to the chapter, should begin early, because money decisions become more important as people grow older and take on bigger financial responsibilities.

Before making any investment, students are encouraged to understand their financial goals and their risk tolerance. That line of thinking runs through the chapter and sets up the idea that investing is a decision that depends on the individual.

A plain explanation of taxes

The book describes taxes as compulsory payments made to the government to finance public services. It sorts them into two broad categories. Direct taxes include income tax. Indirect taxes include the Goods and Services Tax, or GST.

The section on personal income tax says individuals earning above a specified income threshold are required to pay tax. Those earning below the prescribed limit are exempt. For a Class 9 student, the explanation is simple enough to follow, but it introduces ideas that will matter once they start earning.

Chapter 6 and the case for startups

Sanyal also turned his attention to Chapter 6, titled ‘From Ideas to Startups’. The chapter focuses on entrepreneurship and introduces students to the basics of starting and managing a business.

In a second post on X, he pointed to the content on business. "There is also a chapter on entrepreneurship in the Grade 9 Social Science Part 2. It explains the basics of a profit and loss account, business plans and so on. Most importantly, it presents risk-taking, innovation and business as positive activities — quite different from how previous textbooks portrayed them (with emphasis on ‘hoarding’ and ‘black markets’)," he wrote.

"Most importantly, it presents risk-taking, innovation and business as positive activities — quite different from how previous textbooks portrayed them."

That comparison is the sharpest point in his posts. Sanyal is not only describing new chapters. He is contrasting them with what older textbooks taught about commerce, pointing to earlier emphasis on hoarding and black markets.

Sanyal said the chapter covers business planning, innovation, risk-taking and entrepreneurial activity, and he shared photographs from it. The chapter teaches students the basics of a profit and loss account and how a business plan is put together. Those are concepts most students meet only much later in their education, if at all.

Why parents and students are paying attention

Textbook changes tend to draw strong reactions from parents, because they shape what children learn at school and what they carry into adult life. In this case, the revisions move topics like fixed deposits, mutual funds, EMIs and income tax into a Class 9 classroom. Many families have never had those conversations at home in any structured way.

The changes also reflect a clear shift in tone. The new entrepreneurship chapter presents business as something students can take part in, rather than something to be treated with suspicion. Sanyal’s posts make that intent explicit.

Sanyal ended his second post by pointing readers to the material. He shared a link to the NCERT textbook and wrote: "Those interested can go through the chapters for themselves." Anyone who wants to see exactly what students are being taught can read the chapters directly, rather than relying on summaries or social media posts.

The publication date for Sanyal’s highlights is 4 November 2026. The textbook pages he shared show the content as it appears in the Grade 9 Social Science Part 2 book. Readers who want the full wording of the personal finance and entrepreneurship chapters can go to the NCERT edition Sanyal linked to.