Akshai Chin region shown in China, NCERT says map was prepared by Texas University

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has clarified its stand on a row over after it showed Akshai Chin as part of China in a textbook. NCERT said the map in which the error was observed was not of India but South East Asia.

"Chapter four, " Alternative Centres of Power", focuses on the European Union, ASEAN and China. The map which figures on page 56 is not a map of India, but a map of East and South East Asia. It was prepared by the University of Texas. The source of the map was mentioned at the bottom. The map states that Boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative," the NCERT said in a statement.

The map in a Class 12th Political Science textbook, ' Contemporary World Politics' showed Akshai Chin as part of China and the book was published in February 2007. The textbook covers major events in world politics since the beginning of the Cold War era.

NCERT has come under major fire for showing Aksai Chin coloured in the same yellow as China.

Akshai Chin is a border area which is long been claimed by India based on the internal survey of British-India govt. After the 1962 Indo-Sino war, the Chinese declared a unilateral ceasefire, withdrawing from Arunachal Pradesh but not Akshai Chin.