<P> The National Policy on Education (NPE) is a policy formulated by the Government of India to promote education amongst India's people . The policy covers elementary education to colleges in both rural and urban India . The first NPE was promulgated in 1968 by the government of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the second by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986 . The government of India has appointed a new committee under K. Kasturirangan to prepare a Draft for the new National Education Policy in 2017. . </P> <P> Since the country independence in 1947, the Indian government sponsored a variety of programmes to address the problems of illiteracy in both rural and urban India . Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India's first Minister of Education, envisaged strong central government control over education throughout the country, with a uniform educational system . The Union government established the University Education Commission (1948--1949), the Secondary Education Commission (1952--1953) and the Kothari Commission (1964--66) to develop proposals to modernise India's education system . The Resolution on Scientific Policy was adopted by the government of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister . The Nehru government sponsored the development of high - quality scientific education institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology . In 1961, the Union government formed the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) as an autonomous organisation that would advise both the Union and state governments on formulating and implementing education policies . </P>

When was due importance given to environmental education in national education policy in india