West Bengal signs pact with Centre to implement PM-SHRI scheme

📌 Summary:

• West Bengal signed an MoU with the Centre on Friday to implement the PM-SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) schools scheme — the BJP-led state has thus reversed its earlier refusal to join the scheme

• PM-SHRI, approved in 2022, aims to upgrade existing schools across central, state, and local governments into "exemplar schools" that showcase implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 — pedagogy, ICT, equity, and quality

• West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala had earlier refused to sign on; with West Bengal's MoU, Tamil Nadu and Kerala now remain the only states yet to do so

• Trigger: The Education Ministry had written to the Chief Secretaries of all three states last week, prompting them to sign the MoU; new state governments after recent polls have helped break the deadlock

• Fiscal lever: The Centre had linked release of Samagra Shiksha (centrally-sponsored scheme for school education) funds to PM-SHRI implementation — non-signing states have either not received or only partially received their central share, putting pressure on state education budgets

• Wider context: this is a federalism dispute over conditional fund transfers and over NEP 2020 — language policy and three-language formula have been points of contention with Tamil Nadu and Kerala

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 — Centre-state relations and federalism; conditional cooperative federalism via centrally-sponsored schemes; education policy and NEP 2020 implementation; GS3 — human capital and inclusive growth.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• PM-SHRI: Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched 2022; ~14,500 schools to be selected; implements NEP 2020
• Samagra Shiksha: integrated CSS for school education (subsumes erstwhile SSA, RMSA, Teacher Education); usual 60:40 Centre-State funding (90:10 for NE/Himalayan states)
• NEP 2020 replaced 1986 NEP; introduced 5+3+3+4 school structure and three-language formula

🔑 Key Term: PM-SHRI Scheme — "Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India" — Centre-funded scheme to upgrade ~14,500 schools as model/exemplar schools that implement NEP 2020 and provide a holistic, equitable, inclusive learning environment.