As Centre seeks clarity on PM SHRI implementation, Kerala govt goes in huddle

Kerala’s controversial PM SHRI scheme has resurfaced after the Centre sought clarity on implementation for a second time. The state government will consult Chief Minister VD Satheesan and the UDF, while weighing educational funding concerns against its earlier opposition

Thiruvananthapuram: The controversial PM SHRI scheme is back on the table in Kerala, with the Centre writing to the state government for the second time, seeking clarity on its implementation.

General Education Minister N Shamsuddeen confirmed that the Centre’s fresh letter has been received by the Chief Secretary. He said urgent consultations would be held before the government takes a decision. “The Chief Minister will discuss the issue at the government level and within the front and convey the stand. I cannot take a stand on my own,” Shamsuddeen said.

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The minister said the government would consider whether to completely reject PM SHRI or go ahead with it subject to conditions. Its future, he said, would be decided after discussions led by Chief Minister VD Satheesan.

The issue has already figured in discussions within the Congress leadership in recent days. While a section of leaders wanted the government to drop the scheme, CM Satheesan is understood to have pointed out that completely walking away from it may not be easy.

The scheme had first triggered a major political storm when the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government was in office. The state eventually signed an MoU with the Centre in 2025. The decision was criticised for being taken without adequate consultation within the LDF.

The CPI, the second largest constituent of the Left front, mounted strong opposition, forcing the government to subsequently put implementation on hold and constitute a Cabinet sub-committee to examine the issue.

The present government now finds itself in a difficult position. The UDF had opposed the scheme before and after the elections. Satheesan, then Leader of the Opposition, had been particularly vocal against the previous government’s move.

Shamsuddeen, however, pointed to the financial dimension. Kerala, he said, had around Rs 2,000 crore due from the Centre. Samagra Shiksha Kerala funds were the backbone of the Education Department and had been withheld.

“We have told the Union Minister that Kerala’s funds should not be withheld in the name of PM SHRI,” he said.

The Centre has maintained that Kerala signed the PM SHRI MoU in October 2025. The state subsequently sought to keep implementation in abeyance. With the fresh communication from Delhi, the issue has now moved back to the Centre of the political debate, leaving the Satheesan government to balance its earlier opposition to the scheme against Kerala’s substantial financial claims from the Centre.