This PM SHRI issue in Kerala has suddenly become much messier than simple education policy debate . And honestly,when Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan spoke to media on June 19,2026,it sounded like he was trying to say one thing clearly — state cannot just walk away from agreement now .
Satheesan was talking about PM SHRI (Prime Minister’s Schools for Rising India) scheme during post-Budget press conference . His main point was that Kerala has no provision to withdraw from agreement it signed with Union government . Not small thing ah,because many people were thinking state can pause or step back if pressure increases.
According to him,only Union government has power to terminate this agreement,and even that can happen only by giving notice of 30 days . He said once agreement was executed,Kerala became signatory to it,so there is no temporary halt or withdrawal option from state side .
And this is where politics enters fully . Satheesan referred to memorandum of understanding signed by previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government . That MoU reportedly says Department of School Education and Literacy under Ministry of Education reserves right to rescind or terminate agreement in public interest.
Few points standing out from his statement:
- Union government can withdraw from agreement with proper 30 days notice .
- National Education Policy allows states to maintain their own curricula.
- Satheesan criticized LDF for failing to inform Cabinet about agreement.
Satheesan also brought up article by former Education Minister V . Sivankutty,published in Deshabhimani . That article argued against idea that state curriculum would be overridden by Union government’s conditions once agreement was signed . Satheesan repeated same point that National Education Policy supports autonomy of state curricula,and Kerala can maintain its educational standards.
But at same time,he also pushed back against rejecting Centrally sponsored schemes just like that . His argument was that these schemes are funded by public resources,and refusing them would go against Kerala's commitment to federalism . Basically,he was telling LDF to remember this before attacking United Democratic Front (UDF) over PM SHRI decision.
Then came stronger allegation . Satheesan accused former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Sivankutty of misleading Cabinet about agreement,pointing to lack of transparency and communication inside administration . That is serious charge,especially when education policy and state powers are involved.
He ended his stand with this line: "We will not allow any provision that affects the State’s freedom to decide its curriculum." And tbh,that sentence is probably going to stay at centre of this fight now,because whole issue is no longer just about PM SHRI,it is about who really controls school education in state…
But whether this becomes genuine federalism debate or just another Kerala political blame game,that part is still hanging.
