The Centre said states can opt out of the PM SHRI scheme and clarified that no funds have been released to Kerala, contradicting Kerala government's earlier claim.
New Delhi: The Central government has said that states are free to withdraw from the PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme or choose not to sign the agreement. However, states that do not participate will not receive the benefits of the scheme.
Responding to a question from MP Abdul Wahab, Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said that Kerala has not submitted the list of schools for the scheme even after signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), and that no funds have been released to the state.
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The Centre's response contradicts the Kerala government's earlier stand on the issue. The state government had maintained that it had already signed the agreement and received funds, and therefore could not withdraw from the scheme. It had also argued that exiting the scheme after signing the MoU was not possible.
The Centre has now released a list of 35 states and Union Territories that have received funds under the PM SHRI scheme. Kerala's name was not included in the list.
The Centre also clarified that if the PM SHRI scheme is implemented, schools will have to follow certain guidelines prescribed by the Union government along with the state curriculum.
The clarification came in response to a question raised by MP V. Sivadasan regarding the curriculum to be followed under the scheme. The Kerala government had earlier stated that implementing PM SHRI would not mean accepting the agenda of the BJP or the RSS and that such content would not be included in the curriculum. However, the Centre said that under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, textbooks and curriculum frameworks would be prepared according to the structure decided by the Union government.
Published: 31 Jul 2026, 02:33 pm IST
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