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Kerala govt gives in to CPI’s pressure, puts PM-SHRI scheme on hold
The about-turn comes just days after K Vasuki, secretary of the Kerala general education department, signed the state’s MoU with the Union government in New Delhi to secure much-needed funding for an infrastructure boost for schools and to claim dues under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme
Kochi: Bowing down to the pressure imposed by its partner CPI, the LDF government in Kerala on Wednesday decided to put on hold the implementation of the PM-SHRI (Schools for Rising India) scheme in the state and announced the formation of a cabinet sub-committee to review it.
The about-turn comes just days after K Vasuki, secretary of the Kerala general education department, signed the state’s MoU with the Union government in New Delhi to secure much-needed funding for an infrastructure boost for schools and to claim dues under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme.
“In the wake of the concerns and controversies around the signing of the MoU for PM-Shri scheme, the government has decided to review it. A seven-member cabinet sub-committee will be formed to review the scheme and submit a report. Until the cabinet sub-committee submits the report, the Kerala government will inform the Union government via letter that it will not go ahead with the implementation of the scheme,” Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at a press briefing in Thiruvananthapuram.
The chief minister did not answer questions on why the state government chose to review the scheme after signing the MoU. To reporters’ queries whether the State was under pressure from the Union government to hurriedly sign up for the scheme, the CM simply replied, “Anyway, we have decided to review it. Let’s not go into other details right now.”
The Kerala government’s decision comes after several meetings between the leaders of the CPI(M) and the CPI, the two largest partners in the ruling coalition, in the past few days failed to break the deadlock over the scheme’s implementation.
The CPI, an old ally of the CPI(M) with 16 MLAs and four ministers in the cabinet, has stridently stuck to its position that the MoU of the scheme was hurriedly signed without due consultations within the LDF or the cabinet. The CPI has claimed that the scheme’s implementation would lead to saffronisation of education in the state through the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 which it opposes.
At the same time, the CPI(M) and state general education minister V Sivankutty had taken the position that the government could not turn its face away from crores of rupees in funding through the scheme and the dues pending under SSA to pay salaries of staff.
On Wednesday, after the CPI(M) assured that the State would put the scheme temporarily on hold, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam told reporters, “This is the victory of the LDF and Left unity. It is the victory of Left ideals.”
Leader of the Opposition VD Satheesan charged that the CM did not clarify why the State sought to review the scheme days after signing the MoU for it.
“A cabinet sub-committee should have been formed before signing the MoU. What’s the relevance of the sub-committee after signing it? The CM did not even state the time-frame for the sub-committee to file its report. It is just a tactic to save the government’s face. At least the CPI must realise it. The BJP has greater hold over the government than the CPI,” said Satheesan.
