THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of the government decision to put on hold the PM SHRI project, General Education Minister V Sivankutty has explained the state’s position regarding the implementation of the scheme to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Meeting the Union minister in New Delhi on Monday afternoon, Sivankutty conveyed the state’s stand on the policy, including the appointment of a seven-member sub-committee to study the policy, the minister’s office informed. However, no formal document or letter stating this was involved.
The Union minister had also been invited as the chief guest of the Kerala Education Conclave, scheduled to be held in Thiruvananthapuram in January 2026, Sivankutty told reporters after the meeting. At the meeting scheduled to discuss the release of central funds for Samagra Shiksha Kerala (SSK) from the 2023-24 financial year, the minister informed that he had urged to immediately release the remaining Rs 1,066.36 crore for Samagra Shiksha Kerala as a single installment. Sivankutty added that Pradhan took a favourable stand on this.
He also stressed to urgently release funds for hostels falling under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Maha Abhiyan scheme coming to Rs 6.19 crore, and Rs 3.57 crore coming under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyaan scheme.