THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The V.D. government will go ahead with the PM SHRI scheme in Kerala, with the UDF reaching an agreement on moving forward with it at its meeting on Thursday.
The government will examine where the scheme should be implemented and take a decision. The report of the Cabinet subcommittee will also be considered before further action is taken.
The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had earlier strongly opposed the PM SHRI scheme. Its representatives, however, agreed with the general view at Thursday's UDF meeting. The constituent parties said Kerala should not give up the funds it is legitimately entitled to receive from the Centre.
The meeting also observed that the state would have the opportunity to take decisions on the curriculum.
UDF convenor Adoor Prakash said after the meeting that the state could not withdraw from the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on PM SHRI signed by the previous government.
A decision on the Cabinet-rank posts will be taken before Friday, he said. The posts include those in the Administrative Reforms Commission and the Commission for Senior Citizens, besides the vice-chairperson of Norka Roots and the state government's special representative in Delhi. The IUML, Kerala Congress, Forward Bloc and Kerala Democratic Party have staked claims to these posts.
The constituent parties extended full support to Operation Toofan. The meeting also congratulated Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala.
The UDF meeting was held at Cliff House for the first time in 10 years. It began around 11.30 a.m. and ended around 1 p.m.
PM SHRI has not been implemented in government schools in Kerala, Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said in the Rajya Sabha in reply to Jebi Mather.
The MoU was signed on October 23, 2025. However, Kerala did not participate in the process of selecting schools under the state government.
No PM SHRI funds have been received by government schools in Kerala, Chaudhary said. The Centre has provided ₹99.27 crore to Kerala under the Right to Education Act, taking into account the various needs of students. No separate funds have been released specifically for PM SHRI.
West Bengal, which had stayed out of the scheme, signed the agreement in May this year.
There are 13,092 PM SHRI schools across the country.
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