'Better late than never': Suresh Gopi on Kerala govt accepting PM SHRI scheme

Thiruvananthapuram | 'Better late than never' is how Union Minister of State Suresh Gopi on Saturday termed the Kerala government's decision to implement the PM SHRI School scheme in the state.

Two days after the state signed the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme's Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Gopi said that the Kerala government's decision to implement the initiative came "very late".

"But, better late than never," the Union Minister of State for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Tourism said, in response to reporters' queries on the issue.

Gopi said that the beneficiaries of the scheme were children who have no politics and therefore, they should not be denied its benefits.

The CPI, CPI(M), Congress and the BJP, all have their rights, but it should not hamper the needs of those who require implementation of the scheme, he said in response to the Communist Party of India's (CPI) stand against the initiative.

He said that according to media reports, many schools in Kerala were in dilapidated condition and needed to be improved.

"Should our kids study under the threatening condition of 40-50 year old buildings? Let all of it improve. Let it (scheme) benefit them (children)," Gopi said.

His reaction comes a day after CPI, a key ally of Kerala's ruling ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), launched a full-blown revolt against the lead partner CPI(M) over the state General Education Department's decision to join the PM SHRI Schools scheme.

CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam had said that the party and other LDF constituents were kept "in the dark" about the decision. He characterised the move as a "breach of the front's collective discipline."

However, Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty had defended the government's decision to sign the scheme, saying it was a strategic move to secure central funds while safeguarding the state's educational policies.

He had also clarified that signing PM SHRI does not mean Kerala has accepted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2022 -- something the Left has long resisted.

The opposition Congress, on the other hand, had said that the move exposed "deep fissures within the LDF."