Implement central schemes to get funds: Pradhan to Kerala

Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday urged the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to implement central education schemes and not put conditions on their implementation to help release funds to them.

In the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, he said that the ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan’, National Education Policy and PM-SHRI scheme were all federal government policies implemented with the cooperation of states.

Pradhan claimed that though the Kerala Government agreed to sign an agreement on the PM-SHRI scheme, it later retracted.

“They are facing a dilemma due to their internal contradictions in the alliance and that is why they are not implementing the PM-SHRI scheme. Two other states, including Tamil Nadu, have not agreed to implement the PM-SHRI scheme and. Subsequent discussions are being held with Tamil Nadu. I am open and ready to cooperate with any state that will come to the Centre,” he said.

A total of 34 states and UTs have signed the MoU with the Ministry of Education for implementation of the PM-SHRI scheme.

But the states of Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are yet to sign the MoU. While Kerala signed the MoU on October 23, it is yet to implement the scheme.

He asserted non-BJP ruled states like Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Telangana were appropriately getting funds.

CPI-M MP John Brittas (CPI-M) asked when the Centre would release the funds for the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan.

In response, Pradhan said that the entitlement of the state for this year was around Rs 452 crore. Of this, Rs. 92.41 crore was released as the first instalment on November 4.

“We are ready to release all the money subject to the conditions of implementation of the National Education Policy, which they have agreed to implement. I again appeal to their government on what is the compulsion. They may have internal compulsions and internal conflict between your alliance, but why are you putting that burden on the people of Kerala. Sort it out yourself and come take your money,” the minister said.