New Delhi: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan met Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty in the national capital on Monday to discuss a range of issues, including the PM SHRI scheme, which has been a point of contention between the state government and the Centre.

“Delightful meeting with Shri @VSivankuttyCPIM, Hon’ble Minister for General Education and Labour, Kerala, today afternoon. We held productive discussions on the implementation of NEP 2020, PM SHRI and ensuring availability of funds for implementing components under Samagra Shiksha Kerala as well as other educational priorities of the Govt. of Kerala.,” Pradhan wrote in a post on X.

Shivankutty also posted his reaction on X. “I had a fruitful meeting today in New Delhi with Union Education Minister Shri. Dharmendra Pradhan. We discussed the prompt release of the ₹1066.36 crore pending central share for Samagra Shiksha Kerala."

The meeting comes just days after the Kerala government decided to put the rollout of the PM SHRI scheme on hold. The Central government initiative, launched under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, aims to upgrade selected schools across the country.

The decision to pause the implementation followed objections from the Communist Party of India (CPI), a key ally of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala.

PTI inputs