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Kerala will continue to participate in the Union government’s Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, Chief Minister VD Satheesan said on Wednesday, June 17.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister said the state would review the implementation of the scheme through a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Education Minister N Samshudeen and including ministers Roji M John, PC Viswanath, and M Liju. The sub-committee will engage with the Union government to resolve any ideological incoherence within the scheme and communicate with other non-BJP-ruled states for collective input on the scheme in public education.
The CM said that the state is particular that the Union government should not interfere with the state government’s freedom to set a curriculum, and that the selection of schools eligible for the scheme should be reserved for the state government.
The Chief Minister said that the United Democratic Front (UDF) government has been forced to participate in the PM SHRI scheme, as the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had already signed an agreement with the Union government. “The state had received over Rs 99 crore in funds that had been blocked, and another Rs 106 crore has been sanctioned,” he said.
Former Education minister and CPIM leader V Sivankutty challenged the CM's remark, stating that the previous government had officially dispatched an order withdrawing from the scheme and that the decision was taken to secure the funds that Kerala is entitled to.
The article was written by a student interning with TNM.