Kerala minister stands by call to abandon PM SHRI scheme

Kerala Local Self-Government Minister K M Shaji has reiterated his demand to abandon the PM SHRI (Prime Minister's Schools for Rising India) scheme, saying there is no change in his stand even after becoming a minister. Speaking at a Youth League event in Kannur, Shaji said the scheme should be thrown not just into the Arabian Sea but into any drain beyond it.

Shaji had made the remark while the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) was in opposition. After the United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power, Left parties criticised him because the state government did not cancel the scheme and instead appointed a Cabinet sub-committee. Shaji noted that in coalition politics no single party can act alone.

The previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had signed an agreement with the Centre on PM SHRI but kept it in abeyance after protests. The current state Education Minister N Samsudheen, also from the IUML, holds the education portfolio.