The Bengal education minister on Friday accused the Union government of not releasing funds due to the state under the Sarva Shiksha Mission (SSM).
Basu wrote on his X handle: “Ministry of Finance and Internal Finance Division of the Education Ministry has cleared the release of 3rd Instalment for West Bengal for the SSM. Still the fund has not been released to our state.
“The unstated reason is that we have not signed MoU with GoI on PM SHRI!!”
According to data shared by the Bengal education department, the internal finance division of the Union education ministry has given its consent to the release of Rs 485 crore as part of the third instalment.
The Union government had announced in August last year that if a state wanted to avail of central funds to upgrade some of its government schools under a scheme, it must prefix “PM-SHRI” to the names of these schools.
The Union Cabinet had in September 2022 approved the PM-SHRI scheme, which aims to upgrade up to 14,597 existing state government schools that would later mentor other schools in their neighbourhoods.
Under the scheme, every state has to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre to receive the grant.
The Telegraph reported on August 10, 2023, that Bengal was among the few states that had yet to join the PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme.
The other states that have not yet joined the scheme are Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Kerala.
Minister Basu wrote on his X handle: “It is completely unethical and illegal to link the release of funds of one scheme with a separate scheme. Moreover, why should a scheme be named PM SHRI when the State is bearing 40% of the share? # petty politics! #”
The Sarva Shiksha Mission is run by the state education department. The Centre’s share is 60 per cent, while the state gives 40 per cent of the money.
New classrooms are supposed to be constructed with funds under the scheme. Funds under the scheme can also be spent on setting up schools, including model schools.
The education minister had earlier accused the Centre of giving inadequate funds to the state under the scheme.
Basu had said on the floor of the Assembly on February 6: “We are supposed to get Rs 1745.79 crore for the financial year 2023-24 under SSM. Till December 31, 2023, we have got only Rs 311.294 crore. I do not know why they are not releasing the funds....”
According to an official of the state education department, the Union education ministry had given the state Rs 155.65 crore each in the first and second instalments.
Basu later told Metro in a WhatsApp text: “The withholding of funds is illegal, undemocratic, autocratic and has tendencies of strong-arm tactics.”
When contacted, Subhas Sarkar, the Union minister of state for education, said: “What education minister Bratya Basu said on his X handle about the Rising Vidyalaya (PM SHRI) scheme is uncalled for. ‘Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan’ and ‘Rising Vidyalaya’ (PM SHRI) schemes are both modelled on the National Education Policy and intrinsically connected to and complement each other…. Other than four states, the remaining states have given their concurrence to the objective of the Rising Vidyalaya (PM SHRI) scheme. I hope the West Bengal government, realising the complementary nature of the two schemes, will concur and take part in the implementation of the Rising Vidyalaya (PM SHRI) scheme.”