The Union government has asked the Keralam government to take a decision on implementing the PM SHRI scheme at the earliest. The direction has put pressure on the ruling UDF, which remains divided over the proposal.
General Education Minister N Samsudheen said on Friday, September 11, that the Union Education Secretary had written to Keralam Chief Secretary seeking a decision on the scheme. The letter was received around two days ago.
“The letter states that a decision must be taken at the earliest so that the remaining schemes can move forward. It has been two or three days since it was received. We will discuss it in this context,” Samsudheen told reporters.
Samsudheen, who belongs to the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), said the UDF had differing views on the scheme and that its reservations remained. He said the final decision would be taken after discussions with Chief Minister V D Satheesan and other UDF leaders.
“I cannot make a statement on my own. The Chief Minister, along with our UDF leadership, will decide, and the CM will make the announcement,” he said.
“There are different perspectives. The UDF is against the scheme. We said it before the election. Even now we have opposing views,” Samsudheen said.
The Union government’s communication is the second such letter received by the state, even as a Cabinet subcommittee appointed to examine the scheme is yet to meet. The government has sought a report from the four-member panel comprising Samsudheen, P C Vishnunadh, M Liju and Roji M John.
The previous LDF government had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Union government to implement PM SHRI. However, criticism within the LDF, particularly from the CPI, and protests by the UDF led to the agreement being kept in abeyance.
After the UDF came to power, the government had indicated that it would proceed with the scheme, citing the agreement signed by the previous government and funds that had been withheld by the Union government. The move, however, faced opposition from within the UDF, particularly the IUML, which has raised concerns that the scheme could facilitate the Sangh Parivar agenda in education.
The government subsequently constituted the Cabinet subcommittee to examine the issue and recommend whether Keralam should proceed with the scheme or withdraw from it.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister VD Satheesan held discussions with KPCC leaders on September 10 about implementing the scheme, citing the fact that PM SHRI is being implemented in other Congress-ruled states.
The Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme seeks to upgrade 14,500 schools across the country as model institutions aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. It is expected to benefit around 1.8 million students.
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has urged the UDF government to implement the scheme, accusing it of playing politics with students’ future.
After meeting Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi, Chandrasekhar alleged that Kerala students were being denied access to better educational facilities by not implementing PM SHRI. He also claimed that the state’s reluctance was delaying other Central funds.
“Without implementing PM SHRI, the state will not get funds. Due to the state's reluctance to implement the scheme, other Central funds are getting delayed,” he said.