Kerala Education Minister Says State Must Honor PM SHRI Agreement, Cannot Pull Out Alone

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 15 – In a session of the Kerala State Assembly, Education Minister N. Samsudheen warned that the state cannot unilaterally exit the Prime Minister’s School Infrastructure (PM SHRI) programme. Citing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that underpins the scheme, Samsudheen said any withdrawal would breach the binding terms agreed with the central government.

The PM SHRI initiative, launched by New Delhi, provides funds for building and upgrading school facilities across the country. Kerala has been a major beneficiary, using the resources to improve classrooms, laboratories and sanitation in both urban and rural areas. The minister’s statement underscores the legal and financial constraints that tie state actions to the central agreement, signalling that any policy shift would require coordination with the Union government.

For the South‑Asian diaspora, the clarification matters because the scheme directly affects the quality of education for millions of children in Kerala – a state that hosts a large overseas community. Continued participation ensures that the infrastructure upgrades funded by the centre remain in place, preserving the educational standards that many expatriate families rely on for their relatives back home.