Punjab opts out of PM’s school upgrade project; Centre withholds Rs 515 crore

The PM-SHRI project, with an overall budget of over Rs 27,000 crore for the next five years (60:40 ratio of Centre/State), aims to upgrade at least 14,500 schools as “green schools”, where the National Education Policy,2020 (NEP) would be followed in “true spirit”, and students ‘will be rooted to the heritage of India and values of Bharat, Indian languages, unity in diversity and ‘Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat’. From Punjab, 241 senior/senior secondary schools were selected for the project but the state government told the Centre in July last year that it won’t be implementing the project in the state.

The PM-SHRI project, with an overall budget of over Rs 27,000 crore for the next five years. (Express photo)

Punjab’s decision to opt out came even though it had, in October 2022, had signed the Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre (copy with The Indian Express) agreeing to implement the project.

Documents accessed by The Indian Express show that since July 2023, at least five letters were exchanged between the Centre and Punjab over PM-SHRI schools, including one by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann asking the state government to be a part of the project.

On July 10, 2023, Vipin Kumar, additional secretary, union ministry of education wrote to Punjab’s then additional chief secretary (education) Seema Jain, directing the state government to “start preparation of annual work plan and budget proposals” for the selected schools under PM-SHRI.

However, on July 18, 2023, Samagra Shiksha’s Punjab project director Vinay Bublani wrote to Sanjay Kumar, secretary, union ministry of education, that state has opted out of the project. “The Government of Punjab has already commenced the “School of Eminence Scheme”… The state has also finalized a programme to transform 1,000 other schools into the specialized schools under proposed schemes of “Schools of Happiness” and “schools of Brilliance”. In addition, the state is also running meritorious schools, Adarsh schools, smart schools etc. In view of the above, it is felt that shifting 241 schools under any other scheme would create ambiguity…Therefore, the state government is not willing to opt for the PM-SHRI School scheme,” wrote Bublani.

On February 26, 2024, Sanjay Kumar wrote to Punjab chief secretary Anurag Verma, saying that state has “unilaterally” opted out of the project despite the fact that only the GoI reserves the right to cancel the agreement with a prior notice of 30 days, and “any amendment has to be met through mutual consent of both parties.” The letter again directed the Punjab government to start working on the annual budget plan of the project and submit it to the Centre at the earliest.

After Sanjay Kumar’s missive apparently received no response, Union Minister Pradhan shot off a letter to Mann on March 9 reiterating that “Punjab has unilaterally opted out of PM SHRI scheme, contrary to the terms stipulated in the signed MoU.” Pradhan too requested the state to implement the scheme and present the budget in the Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting. After Pradhan’s letter, Punjab’s education secretary Kamal Kishor Yadav, in a letter dated March 15, wrote to the Centre elaborating that it was already working on “implementing the recommendations of NEP 2020” but is “not willing to for PM SHRI School Scheme”.

Yadav wrote that the state government was already implementing its own “Schools of Eminence”, “Schools of Brilliance” and “Schools of Happiness”, which would be aligned with NEP. Yadav’s added that “Punjab has been proactive in implementing NEP recommendations, three language formula is already in place in the state” and “designing of vocational courses as per NEP was already in pipeline.” “…it would be difficult for the State to run so many different types of schools. Punjab is not willing to opt for the PM SHRI school scheme, however, the state will continue to have convergence under various schemes to achieve objectives of NEP, 2020,” wrote Yadav.

Punjab flags stuck funds

In a parallel set of communications, amid logjam over PM-SHRI schools, Punjab education department officials have been writing to the Centre to release the pending funds under Samagra Shiksha, which is the primary source for meeting monthly expenditures such as salaries of teachers, infrastructure (construction of new classrooms, boundary walls), uniforms among others.

In a letter dated January 18 this year, Bublani wrote to Vipin Kumar requesting the release of 3rd and 4th installment for FY 2023-24 “so that balance payments and targets fixed could be achieved in time.”

On March 5, Punjab’s education secretary Yadav wrote to his union counterpart Sanjay Kumar demanding urgent release of the pending 3rd and 4th installment for FY 2023-24 under Samagra Shiksha. The letter added: “Currently there is no balance in the Single Nodal Account of Samagra Shiksha due to which payments for some activities already performed are pending, including employees’ salaries…”

Earlier in February, in a similar letter, Yadav had written to Sanjay Kumar highlighting “balance in SNA account is meagre and without an appropriate amount, it is difficult to achieve scheme’s objectives.” As the financial crisis deepened, on April 23, 2024, Yadav wrote another letter to Sanjay Kumar that due to delay on part of Centre in releasing funds, the payment of at least Rs 177 crore has become pending and has become a liability for Punjab. It further added that to pay salaries in time, the state government had to release its share in advance, further asking the Centre to release the pending funds immediately.

Minister adamant, but says need funds

Speaking to The Indian Express, Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains said that “every effort was made to solve this issue amicably” but “with the Centre holding state’s funds, it seems it would be difficult to pay salaries in coming months.”

“It’s true that we had signed the MoU with the Centre but when the detailed proposal came, we found it was on the lines of our own ‘Schools of Eminence’ project for which work is already in progress…PM-SHRI is not fit for our state…The decision to opt out of PM-SHRI was taken at CM’s level,” said Bains. H e said the the Samagra Shiksha funds were stopped after Punjab informed Centre of its decision to opt out of the project. “We tried to sort this out as amicably as possible but our funds have been stopped. It is nothing but arm-twisting. It is against basic principles of federalism,” said Bains.

The minister said that stakeholders including teacher unions and others “met us and expressed their objections regarding NEP and PM-SHRI” that it might be the “Centre’s plan to impose their curriculum and downplay Punjab’s own language and culture” in school education.

“Also, the Centre is giving only Rs 200-250 crore for the PM-SHRI, that too over a span of six years. It is not going to help. They are only revamping the schools which are already well-established. The only intention seems to enter the state’s education scene anyhow by writing PM-SHRI on the boards. We are all for PM-SHRI if they make new schools,” said Bains.

The minister said that infrastructure works of at least Rs 1,000 crore were ongoing in schools, and the first installment of payments was done. “Now work will be affected and stalled,” Bains said, adding that till now the state government is footing salary bills, but September onwards, it would be difficult to pay salaries and basic working of the education department will start getting affected.

Speaking to The Indian Express, union education secretary Sanjay Kumar said: “Despite our repeated letters and requests, Punjab has refused to implement PM-SHRI scheme…”. Asked if Samagra Shiksha funds have been stopped for Punjab due to this reason, Kumar said: “I cannot comment on it.”