Centre To Urge Bengal, Tamil Nadu To Sign PM SHRI MoU, Letters Likely Within Days

The Centre will write to West Bengal and Tamil Nadu within days, urging them to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for early implementation of the Centre's PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme, sources said on Wednesday, indicating a possible shift in the rollout of the programme in the two states.

The Union Ministry of Education is expected to send letters to the Chief Secretaries "today or tomorrow", seeking early adoption of the scheme, which aims to develop select government schools as model institutions under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

"We are hopeful that now states will implement the PM SHRI scheme. We will write to the state chief secretaries for implementation of the PM SHRI scheme," a senior official said.

West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, governed by the Trinamool Congress and the DMK respectively, had earlier not joined the centrally sponsored initiative and did not sign the required Memorandum of Understanding.

Officials said the situation in West Bengal could see movement after the recent Assembly election results. In Tamil Nadu, however, the picture remains unclear following the electoral victory of C. Joseph Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

The PM SHRI scheme aims to develop more than 14,500 schools across the country as exemplar institutions showcasing the implementation of NEP 2020.

The issue had earlier led to differences between the Centre and several opposition-ruled states over education funding. During the 2024-25 financial year, funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan were paused or withheld for states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Delhi and Punjab after they did not sign the PM SHRI MoU.

While the Centre maintains that signing the agreement is necessary to access funds under the scheme, opposition parties have alleged that education funding has been linked to acceptance of the NEP and centrally sponsored programmes.