Latest news with #PM-SHRI
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
MP Kesineni Sivanath urges Railway Board to expedite projects in Vijayawada Division
MP Kesineni Sivanath has appealed to Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar to take immediate steps to resolve pressing issues in the Vijayawada Railway Division and ensure the swift release of funds for the development of the city railway station under the Amrit Bharat Station 2.0 scheme. In a meeting held at Rail Bhavan in New Delhi on Tuesday (July 22, 2025), the MP raised several pending issues concerning infrastructure and public safety across the Vijayawada division. He drew attention to the long-pending construction of Road Over Bridges (ROBs) and Road Under Bridges (RUBs) at key level crossings. These include Level Crossing No. 316 between Vijayawada and Gunadala, No. 147 between Rayanapadu and Kondapalli, No. 148 between Vijayawada and Rayanapadu, and No. 8 between Vijayawada and Ramavarappadu. He urged the Railway Board to take urgent steps to complete these works without delay. Highlighting the importance of modernising Vijayawada railway station, the MP called for the immediate release of ₹836.47 crore sanctioned by NITI Aayog under the Amrit Bharat Station 2.0 scheme. He stressed that the timely release of these funds by the Railway Ministry is essential for accelerating the development works. Mr. Satish Kumar assured that necessary directions would be issued to officials concerned. Meanwhile, the MP has urged the Central government to reconsider the allocation of PM-SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) schools to NTR District, citing severe underrepresentation in the recently approved list. Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the MP called for a review of the selection process and demanded the sanctioning of more schools to the district. Despite the District having 827 benchmarked schools, and 550 of them meeting the eligibility criteria, only 27 schools were sanctioned under the PM-SHRI scheme, he pointed out. The sanction rate is 4.9%, the lowest across Andhra Pradesh, he added. 'The Andhra Pradesh government had recommended 62 schools for consideration, yet more than 56% of those schools did not make it to the final list. It is disappointing and unjustified,' he said. Highlighting the preparedness of the district, the MP said that most schools in NTR District are aligned with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and have the necessary infrastructure. 'Given this, the low number of sanctioned schools is both puzzling and disheartening,' he said. The MP called upon the Centre to review the selection process and allocate additional PM-SHRI schools to NTR District, said a release.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Only 52% of PM-SHRI Schools in Maharashtra have playgrounds according to Lok Sabha Answer
Only 450 out of 860 (52%) of PM-SHRI Schools in Maharashtra have playgrounds according to data shared by Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary in the Lok Sabha. The data was provided on Monday in a written answer to an unstarred question by seven opposition MPs from Maharashtra. PM-SHRI is a Union Government scheme wherein schools are developed to provide the quality education and ensure holistic development of all the students. These schools have Best in class modern facilities. This number excludes PM-SHRI Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samitis. MPs Supriya Sule, Nilesh Lanke, Varsha Gaikwad, Bhaskar Bhagare, Bajrang Sonwane, Sanjay Patil, and Dhairyaheel Mohite Patil asked Minister to provide, among other information, the number of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and PM-SHRI Schools currently operational in the state of Maharashtra. Details about student enrolment, infrastructure availability, and faculty strength in these schools, and district-wise information was also sought. The reply stated that 3,05,210 students were enrolled in the 860 PM-SHRI Schools in the state, and the total faculty strength was 9,141. 450 of these schools have a playground, which was the only information provided under infrastructure. Nashik district had the highest number of PM-SHRI Schools at 47 followed by Yavatmal at 42, Nanded and Solapur at 39, and Pune at 38. Mumbai Suburban had the lowest number of PM-SHRI Schools (2) while Dhule district had 10 such schools. In a statement shared with The Indian Express, Mumbai North Central MP Professor Varsha Gaikwad said, 'Maharashtra had the concept of Adarsh Shala even before PM-SHRI Schools and we had identified 488 schools under the same with all basic facilities. In the NEP, they copied this concept and renamed it PM-SHRI and cut funding for our Adarsh Shalas. Playgrounds were a mandatory condition under our Adarsh Shalas, but it is really concerning that only 52% of the schools selected under the PM-SHRI Schools have playgrounds. On what basis have these schools been named PM-SHRI Schools?' Gaikwad added that the focus under the PM-SHRI Schools seemed to be more about building contractor friendly infrastructure rather than schools that provide holistic education for children. The Indian Express spoke to Srikant Giri, Principal of PM-SHRI Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) School 53 B English, and Sangeeta Band, Principal of PM-SHRI PMC School 151 B, both of whom confirmed that their schools had a playground. Giri informed that his school was the first corporation school to be certified under PM-SHRI. Smart TVs, educational drawings on walls, sports equipment, and other facilities have been installed at the schools through the scheme funds. It is important to note that the data shared in Lok Sabha does not match with the data on the PM-SHRI website dashboard. According to the Lok Sabha reply, out of the 38 schools in Pune district, only 24 have a playground. However, according to the dashboard, all 38 schools in Pune have a playground. Similarly for the Ratnagiri district, the Lok Sabha reply stated that only 3 out of the 16 PM-SHRI schools have a playground, but according to the dashboard 12 schools have a playground. Such discrepancies were seen in other districts as well. The reply also stated that the state has 60 Kendriya Vidyalayas with 76,790 students enrolled and having a faculty strength of 2,723. Pune district had the highest number of KVs at 16 while districts like Yavatmal, Washim, Solapur, Latur, Dhule, Aurangabad, Bhandara, and Parbhani had only 1 KV. Out of the 60 KVs, 52 have been designated as PM-SHRI schools. The document also says, 'all KVs in the State of Maharashtra have sufficient infrastructure, basic amenities and ICT infrastructure, including smart classrooms, computer labs and internet connectivity, achieving 100% ICT saturation.' PM-SHRI Schools – 860 With Playground – 450 Students Enrolled – 3,05,210 Faculty Strength – 9,141 Kendriya Vidyalayas – 60 PM-SHRI KVs – 52 Students Enrolled – 76,790 Faculty Strength – 2,723 Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
New Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Samagra Shiksha: Kerala to explore legal options over delay in central funds
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government will explore legal options regarding the denial of central funds to the tune of Rs 1,466 crore to Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) for nearly two years, allegedly due to non-implementation of the National Education Policy. Senior education department officials will meet Advocate General K Gopalakrishna Kurup on Thursday to discuss the issue, sources said. A decision has been made to approach the court. 'The officials will meet the AG to finalise the appropriate legal platform,' said a senior official. The denial of funds for two years has left the students in a lurch. Distribution of orthopaedic equipment for children with disabilities, textbooks, uniforms and travel allowances have been pending for long. The Union government has not released funds to SSK since the second half of the 2023-24 academic year. No reason has been cited for the delay. The SSK, however, is conducting therapy for autistic children and other basic activities through funds from the state and local self-governments, sources said. But nearly everything else has come to a standstill. Fund crunch has crippled many projects, says official Earlier, the implementation of many centrally sponsored schemes under the National Health Mission were affected in the state, due to a delay in central grants. The state has been locked in a major dispute with the Union government over the latter insisting on branding of schemes funded by the Centre. In the case of SSK, non implementation of NEP could be the reason for non-issue of funds, said officials. 'No official reason has been cited for the delay. But as per unofficial communication, fund allocation has been affected due to non-implementation of NEP,' a top education department official told TNIE. The funds are supposed to move through the PM-SHRI (PM-ScHools for Rising India) scheme, which falls under NEP. Fund shortage has severely crippled many projects, said SSK officials. 'Inclusive education, RTE entitlements, vocational education projects, learning enhancement activities have all been severely affected due to the lack of funds,' said SSK state project director Supriya A R. Generally, SSK receives 60% of funds from the centre and the remaining from the state. Even tha payment of salaries to employees is in crisis due to the state's financial situation. Department officials have discussed with the finance minister the allocation of additional funds to provide salary.
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Cannot ink PM-SHRI in its current form: Sivankutty
The State cannot be a signatory to PM-SHRI (PM Schools for Rising India) in the current state of the scheme, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said. The Minister on Wednesday met representatives of student organisations to discuss the issue and the withholding of funds to the State. The Minister said the State could not comply with the provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP). However, the PM SHRI scheme mandated the implementation of NEP. The Union government had withheld ₹1,500 crore due to the State under various Centrally sponsored education schemes for not inking the PM-SHRI agreement, the Minister said. Mr. Sivankutty said he had met Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan twice seeking sanction of funds to no avail. The State government was mulling steps, including legal action, to get the funds. 'Everyone should stand united to ensure that the State gets its due share of funds,' the Minister said. Representatives of Students Federation of India, All India Students' Federation, Kerala Students Union, and other student unions and General Education Secretary K. Vasuki attended the meeting.
Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Kerala Education Minister: ‘Some parts of NEP are good… (but) it is now a BJP programme. That is our main problem'
Alleging that the Centre owes Kerala over Rs 1,000 crore funds for various education-related schemes, Kerala General Education Minister and CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty has said that the LDF-led state government would also, like the DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu, move the court against the Centre in the matter. The Tamil Nadu government recently moved the Supreme Court, accusing the BJP-led Centre of not releasing its share under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, a key school education programme that ensures funds for implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The Centre and the states contribute funds for this scheme in the 60:40 ratio. The Centre has not released the Samagra Shiksha funds to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal on the ground that these states have yet to implement the PM-SHRI scheme, which seeks to develop selected schools to showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. In an interview with The Indian Express, Sivankutty speaks on a range of issues related to these rows, spelling out Kerala's stand on them. Excerpts: These are Samagra Shiksha funds. They (Centre) are saying that they are withholding Samagra Shiksha funds because the PM-SHRI scheme is not being implemented in the state. Kerala is supposed to receive money from the central government under the centrally sponsored scheme for general education. This amounts to a pending amount of Rs 188.58 crore for 2023-24, Rs 513.54 crore for 2024-25, and Rs 440.34 crore that has been approved for 2025-26. This adds up to a total of Rs 1,142.46 crore. Additionally, Rs 318 crore is expected as Kerala's share for the PM-SHRI scheme for the 2025-27 period. Totally, Kerala should receive Rs 1460.46 crore. Kerala has utilised the state share of Samagra Shiksha, which is 40% of the outlay, for essential expenditure like RTE entitlements, textbooks, and salaries. But there are some commitments, like funding for scholarships for children with special needs, uniforms, and school grants that are pending. Last year, the state government provided Rs 20 crore to pay salaries. We are hopeful of changing the Centre's mindset… a change in favour of Kerala. If the Centre sticks to its stand of denying funds that are the state's right, we will have to seek other means to safeguard the rights of children. Ours is a federal country… all children are ours. You cannot deprive funds to students from a few states. It is a politically-motivated move that is affecting children. I spoke to the Tamil Nadu Education Minister and their situation is similar. They have more funds…they have provided for this amount of around Rs 2000 crore in their budget. Since it is two different states, we will have to file (a suit) separately. We have spoken with senior advocates, and will take the matter to court. We are hopeful that the court, which protects the Constitution, will give protection in this matter. The RTE Act says that the Centre is to provide funds. For the PM-SHRI scheme, the Centre insists on an MoU that specifies implementation of the NEP, and the state is not in favour of this. The issue here is that earlier education was in the State List, and now it is in the Concurrent List. The BJP at the Centre has a political stand. It is based on this political stand that they have removed certain aspects of history from textbooks. Of the steps that the Centre is taking, these in the field of education are serious ones. There is this matter of following the NEP. On the NEP and implementing new aspects in education…there should have been meetings with Education Ministers of the states, academics, experts. Our textbooks in Kerala have been prepared after discussions. There are parts of the NEP, which we would have to implement even if they were not in the NEP, simply because of the current circumstances. Many students from Kerala are studying abroad, and they are going for four-year programmes. Considering this, we had to introduce four-year programmes. I will not blindly say that it (NEP) is a complete failure. There are some parts of it that are good, and some parts that we don't agree with. We have the right to express dissent when it comes to the parts that we don't agree with. It is this dissent that we are registering. We have incorporated the positive parts of the NEP in the Kerala Curriculum Framework 2023. What we don't agree with is aspects of curriculum preparation, and imposing decisions that the Centre takes on education for the entire country. This is now an attempt to forcibly impose the Centre's policies. The NEP is now a BJP-sponsored programme. That is our main problem. Languages need to be taught, whether it is English or Hindi. But you cannot force a language on anyone.
