New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 10 (NationPress) Kerala has verbally communicated its position regarding the PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) initiative to the Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, as stated by State Education Minister V. Sivankutty on Monday. He clarified that the state has not yet provided a formal written response.

After his meeting with Union Minister Pradhan in New Delhi, Sivankutty explained that the state government has informed the Central authorities that the PM SHRI scheme is currently “on hold” in Kerala.

“We have taken all essential measures to ensure that the state does not forfeit any Central funding,” he emphasized.

Minister Sivankutty mentioned that a formal communication would be dispatched only after the sub-committee tasked with reviewing the scheme presents its findings.

He observed that Union Minister Pradhan did not provide a definitive stance—whether supportive or oppositional—during their discussions.

In response to inquiries regarding CPI leader Binoy Viswam's critiques of the state government's position, Sivankutty remarked, “I neither intend nor feel the need to challenge his remarks.”

Meanwhile, the Minister disclosed that he had reached out to the Union Education Minister requesting immediate action regarding the recent Gana Geetham controversy linked to the Vande Bharat Express flag-off event.

He described the incident—where students were allegedly instructed to sing an RSS song, with the video subsequently shared on the Southern Railway's official social media platform—as a “serious breach of constitutional secular values.”

The state government has mandated the Director of General Education to initiate an investigation, Sivankutty reported, adding that further actions would be determined after reviewing the findings.

Sivankutty also emphasized that CBSE schools in Kerala require state endorsement to operate, and the state possesses the power to revoke the No Objection Certificate (NOC) whenever deemed necessary.

“Only songs that are acceptable to all students should be performed during official events,” he stated, advocating for a common, inclusive anthem for such occasions.

Highlighting Kerala's unique approach to education, Sivankutty noted that the state is the only one to develop and administer assessments based on NCERT topics that had been excluded.

He conveyed that the state is in need of Central support to maintain such initiatives, and Union Minister Pradhan assured that funding requests—amounting to Rs 1,066.66 crore for the Samagra Shiksha Kerala program and Rs 9 crore for hostel development—would be considered.