Kerala Public Education Minister N Samsudhin said on Monday that the state may lose more than… $2,000 crore if it withdraws from the Centre’s PM SHRI scheme, as the agreement signed by the previous LDF government does not allow the state to exit the scheme unilaterally.
Responding to a question in the state Assembly about the legal and financial implications of Kerala backing out of the centrally sponsored scheme, the minister said the agreement gives the right to withdraw only to the Center and not the state.
If Kerala exits the scheme, it will be so, he said $Rs 1,000 crore allocated for PM SHRI schools will be lost.
Under the agreement, one primary school and one secondary school will be selected from each of the state’s 152 local autonomous areas, bringing the total number to 304 schools.
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Every school is eligible $1 crore per annum for three years under this scheme.
The minister said the scheme follows a 60:40 funding pattern, with the Center contributing 60 per cent and the state 40 per cent.
Samsudin also said the fact that the Center can also withhold other education-related funds if the agreement is not adhered to.
He said the previous LDF government had to sign the PM SHRI agreement in the hope of securing central assistance, including around it $1,158 crore under the Samagra Shiksha (SSK) programme.
“Overall, the state stands to lose more $He said: 2000 crores if you withdraw from the agreement.
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The minister also said that education falls under the concurrent list of the Constitution and states have the right to decide what should be taught in their schools. He said that the opinion of the elected state government is important in determining the curriculum in the states concerned.
Samsudin said that the current government is trying to resolve the issues arising from the agreement signed by the previous Liberal Democratic Front government.
The previous CPI(M)-led Left government had, in October last year, halted the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme, days after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Centre, following objections from coalition partner CPI.
The CPI claimed that the scheme could pave the way for the implementation of the RSS’s agenda in the education sector, while the Public Education Department defended the move as necessary to secure central assistance. The Congress-led UDF opposition then criticized the LDF government for signing the PM SHRI MoU.
After coming to power, the United Democratic Front government formed a ministerial sub-committee to study the PM SHRI plan, including its legal, financial and political implications, amid the ongoing dispute over the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP).
