Kerala may lose over ₹2,000 crore if it exits PM SHRI scheme: Samsudheen
Kerala May Lose Over ₹2,000 Crore by Exiting PM SHRI Scheme: Samsudheen
Kerala may lose over 2 000 crore - Kerala’s General Education Minister, N Samsudheen, warned on Monday that the state could face financial losses exceeding ₹2,000 crore if it decides to leave the PM SHRI scheme. This comes as the pact signed by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) administration prevents unilateral withdrawal from the program. The minister emphasized that the agreement reserves the right to exit solely for the central government.
Legal and Financial Implications of Withdrawal
In response to a legislative query, Samsudheen clarified that the PM SHRI agreement mandates the Centre to have authority over the withdrawal process. He highlighted that Kerala’s departure would result in the loss of approximately ₹1,000 crore allocated for PM SHRI schools. The scheme requires selecting one elementary and one secondary institution from each of the state’s 152 local self-government blocks, totaling 304 schools.
The minister noted the funding model follows a 60:40 split, with the Centre contributing 60% and the state 40%. He also stressed that breaching the agreement could lead to the central government halting other education-related funds, such as the ₹1,158 crore under the Samagra Shiksha (SSK) program. “The state could lose more than ₹2,000 crore if the agreement is not honored,” Samsudheen stated in a
direct quote
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Concurrent List and Curriculum Rights
Samsudheen reiterated that education is a concurrent subject under the Constitution, allowing states to determine their curriculum. He argued that the elected government’s decisions hold significant weight in shaping educational content. The current administration is actively addressing issues from the earlier LDF government’s agreement, aiming to resolve its implications.
Previous Government’s Actions and Controversies
The CPI(M)-led Left government, in October last year, paused the PM SHRI scheme’s implementation after signing an MoU with the Centre. This followed protests from the CPI, which claimed the program would advance the RSS’s educational agenda. The General Education Department defended the move as essential for securing central aid. Meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF opposition criticized the LDF for entering the PM SHRI MoU.
Following its assumption of power, the UDF government formed a sub-committee to analyze the PM SHRI scheme’s legal, financial, and policy aspects. This initiative occurred amid ongoing debates about the National Education Policy (NEP), with the dispute persisting between the parties.