The Union Ministry of Education will shortly write to the Chief Secretaries of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, urging them to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for early implementation of the Centre’s PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme in state-run schools, sources said on Wednesday.
The move comes in the wake of recent Assembly election outcomes that have altered the political landscape in both states, prompting renewed optimism within the Centre over the rollout of key education initiatives linked to the National Education Policy 2020.
According to senior officials, letters are expected to be dispatched “today or tomorrow” seeking early adoption of the PM SHRI scheme, under which selected schools are to be developed as model institutions aligned with NEP 2020.
“We are hopeful that now states will implement the PM SHRI scheme. We will write to the state chief secretaries for implementation of the PM SHRI scheme,” a senior official said.
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Previously, the governments of West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, led by the Trinamool Congress and the DMK respectively, had not joined the centrally sponsored initiative and had refrained from signing the required MoU.
Officials indicated that implementation of the scheme could become smoother in West Bengal following the latest electoral developments. However, the situation in Tamil Nadu remains uncertain after the electoral victory of C. Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.
The PM SHRI scheme seeks to develop more than 14,500 schools across the country as exemplar institutions showcasing the implementation of NEP 2020.
The issue had earlier led to friction between the Centre and several opposition-ruled states over education funding. The Union government had paused or withheld the release of funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan to states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Delhi and Punjab during the 2024–25 financial year after they did not sign the MoU for PM SHRI implementation.
While the Centre maintains that signing the MoU is essential to access funds under the PM SHRI framework, opposition parties have alleged that education grants were being linked to acceptance of NEP and centrally sponsored schemes.
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