Centre, West Bengal sign MoU for PM SHRI schools initiative

The Union ministry of education on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal government to implement the PM SHRI Schools initiative in the state

Published on: May 16, 2026, 08:28:14 IST

By Sanjay Maurya, New Delhi

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The Union ministry of education on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the West Bengal government to implement the PM SHRI Schools initiative in the state, ending years of resistance under the previous Trinamool Congress (TMC) administration and formally bringing the state into the Centre’s flagship school transformation scheme aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

West Bengal had earlier declined to sign the MoU for implementation of the PM SHRI scheme under the TMC government. (Representative photo/ iStock)

The MoU was signed at Kartavya Bhawan by Sanjay Kumar, secretary, department of school education and literacy (DoSEL), ministry of education, and Dheeraj Sahu, additional secretary, on behalf of the Centre, and by Binod Kumar, additional chief secretary, on behalf of the West Bengal government.

“Aligned with the vision of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, this initiative focuses on transforming existing schools into model institutions of excellence. These schools will serve as exemplar institutions, guiding and supporting nearby schools to enhance learning outcomes, innovation and holistic education,” the ministry of education said in a post on X on Friday.

The development comes days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, came to power in West Bengal for the first time following the recently announced Assembly election results.

West Bengal had earlier declined to sign the MoU for implementation of the PM SHRI scheme under the TMC government led by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, citing differences with the Centre over the scheme’s branding and implementation structure.

With West Bengal now on board, Kerala and Tamil Nadu remain the only two states yet to sign the MoU for the scheme. Officials said the Centre is expected to engage with the new governments in both states following recent political changes after the Assembly elections, with TVK, led by Vijay, replacing the DMK government headed by M.K. Stalin in Tamil Nadu, and the Congress under V.D. Satheesan replacing the CPI(M)-led government of Pinarayi Vijayan in Kerala.

Launched in September 2022, the PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme aims to upgrade 14,500 existing government schools into model institutions that fully reflect the principles of the NEP 2020. The centrally sponsored scheme follows a 60:40 funding pattern between the Centre and states, except for northeastern and Himalayan states, where the Centre bears a larger share of the expenditure.

At present, 13,091 PM SHRI schools have been selected across the country under the initiative.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanjay Maurya
Sanjay Maurya is a Principal Correspondent with Hindustan Times, where he covers education, with a focus on school and higher education, competitive examinations, education policy and governance. Working as part of the National Bureau, he is based in New Delhi and reports on the Ministry of Education and covers various statutory bodies like UGC, AICTE and NCTE and autonomous bodies like CBSE and NCERT. His reporting also tracks the implementation of key government reforms and policies from school education to higher education including in IITs, NITs, IIMs, central and state universities, and their impact on students and educational institutions. His reporting on the irregularities and rushed implementation of CBSE's On-Screen Marking (OSM) system for evaluation of Class 12 board exams 2026, triggered administrative action, leading to the transfer of the board's two senior-most officials and the constitution of a committee to probe alleged irregularities in procurement process of the system. He joined Hindustan Times in December 2024. Prior to that, he had a three-year stint at Careers360, where he reported on school and higher education, entrance examinations, admissions, rankings and various education policies involving universities and professional education bodies. Over the years, Maurya has reported extensively on major developments in India's education sector, including the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, reforms in the National Testing Agency (NTA) following the NEET-UG 2024 controversy, changes in school education, higher education regulation, and the evolution of entrance examinations such as NEET, JEE and CUET. He regularly produces data-driven and explanatory stories based on government documents, parliamentary proceedings, court records and official data. His focus remains on helping readers understand how education policies and institutional decisions affect millions of students, teachers and educational institutions across the country.Read More

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