Exclusive | Amid Kerala’s Claims Of Review, Bureaucracy Starts Implementation Of PM SHRI: Source
In a development that appears to undercut the Kerala government’s announcement of a “review” of the PM SHRI school scheme, bureaucratic preparations for implementing the programme had already been in motion, according to a senior official involved in the process.
A source closely associated with one of the state’s education-linked projects told Timeline that the decision to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre was not a sudden political act, but the result of months of groundwork. This revelation comes as the CPI(M)-led Left government’s move to sign the deal with the Central government came as a surprise for its constituents, especially the CPI.
“The bureaucracy was told to move forward at least a few weeks before the actual signing of the MoU,” the official said, suggesting that internal instructions to operational departments had already been issued through informal communication modes.
The official who represented the state while signing the MoU, is said to have subsequently sought updates from various departments to begin implementing aspects of the scheme. The source (On Monday night) emphasised that no directives have been issued so far to pause or retract these instructions, indicating that the government or bureaucracy currently has no plans to withdraw from the agreement.
However, on Wednesday, the state Cabinet led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed to have placed the scheme on hold, citing the need for a “review”. The decision came after mounting objections from the Communist Party of India (CPI), a key ally within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), which warned that the Centre’s scheme could serve as a gateway for an “RSS agenda” in the education system.
Following Cabinet deliberations, Vijayan announced the constitution of a seven-member sub-committee to examine the implications of implementing PM SHRI in Kerala. “Taking into account the controversies and concerns that have arisen over the signing of the MoU, the government has decided to conduct a review before proceeding,” he said. The panel, chaired by General Education Minister V Sivankutty, includes ministers K Rajan, P Rajeeve, Roshy Augustine, K Prasad, K Krishnankutty and A K Saseendran. All further action under the scheme, he added, would remain suspended until the panel submits its findings.
The announcement followed several days of unease within the LDF after the CPI alleged that the MoU was signed without Cabinet consultation. Party leaders said they had first learned of the move through media reports. CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam described the decision as “a violation of collective alliance norms”, noting that discussions on the scheme had twice been deferred earlier for policy reasons.
Earlier, Union Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar, while talking to a Malayalam news channel, confirmed that Kerala had conveyed its intention to sign the agreement as early as March 2024. In remarks to Asianet News, he stated, “The Kerala government had given us an undertaking in March 2024 that they would sign the MoU.” He also clarified that the PM SHRI scheme does not impose mandatory implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) syllabus, as education remains a subject on the Concurrent List.
After the news on the MoU was broke, Minister Sivankutty defended the original signing as a “strategic compulsion” rather than ideological compromise. He said the Union government had warned that Kerala risked losing central education funds if it failed to sign. “It meant we would lose the money. So we were forced to sign, as we needed the funds,” he explained.
The CPI(M), which leads the coalition, has maintained that the signing followed deliberations held earlier in the year. However, the CPI’s objections have exposed underlying tensions within the LDF, which has often positioned itself as the political counter to the BJP and RSS-led educational discourse.
