PM-SHRI: West Bengal Signs MoU, Only Tamil Nadu...

CURRENT AFFAIRS | 16 MAY 2026

The West Bengal Education Department on Friday, May 15, 2026, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre to roll out the PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI) scheme in the state. The decision ends a long-running stand-off and leaves only Tamil Nadu and Kerala as the two states yet to sign on.

PM-SHRI was launched in September 2022 as the flagship implementation vehicle for the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. The scheme aims to upgrade 14,500 existing government schools across India into exemplar institutions, showcasing NEP-compliant infrastructure — smart classrooms, modern science labs, sports facilities, vocational education and 21st-century pedagogy. Funding flows in a 60:40 (Centre:State) ratio over five years.

The Centre had earlier withheld Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan funds for FY 2023-24 from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala precisely because they had not signed the PM-SHRI MoU. West Bengal’s signing follows recent political developments and assembly election outcomes. Tamil Nadu (under CM M K Stalin) and Kerala (under CM-designate V D Satheesan) continue to object on the ground that the scheme allegedly conditions Samagra Shiksha grants on full NEP adoption — including the three-language formula and centralised testing — which both states view as encroachment on state autonomy in a Concurrent List subject.

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Constitutional & Statutory Framework

Education sits on the Concurrent List (Entry 25, List III, Seventh Schedule) after the 42nd Amendment, 1976 shifted it from the State List. This is why both Centre and States can legislate — and why centrally sponsored schemes routinely become federalism flashpoints. Article 21A (inserted by the 86th Amendment, 2002) makes free and compulsory education for children aged 6-14 a fundamental right, operationalised through the Right to Education Act, 2009. Article 45 (DPSP, post-86th Amendment) directs the state to provide Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) for children below 6. Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan — the umbrella scheme integrating Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan + Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan + Teacher Education — is the financial pipe through which PM-SHRI funds flow. The Sarkaria Commission (1983-87) and the Punchhi Commission (2007-10) both addressed precisely this kind of Centre-State tension under cooperative federalism.

Why This Matters for CLAT

PM-SHRI sits at the crossroads of education jurisprudence and fiscal federalism — both perennial CLAT favourites. Be ready for: (1) the constitutional location of education (Entry 25, Concurrent List) and the 42nd Amendment shift; (2) Article 21A + RTE Act enforcement architecture; (3) the role of the GST Council and the Finance Commission in inter-governmental transfers; (4) DPSPs on education (Articles 41, 45, 46); (5) Schedule VII entries on local governance via 73rd/74th Amendments (PRI/ULB delivery of school education); and (6) the Kasturirangan-chaired NEP 2020 framework. Comprehension passages frequently use PM-SHRI as a vehicle to test cooperative versus competitive federalism.

Key Facts at a Glance

Scheme	PM Schools for Rising India (PM-SHRI)
Launched	September 2022 under NEP 2020
Target	14,500 exemplar schools
Funding	60:40 Centre-State over 5 years
West Bengal MoU	Signed 15 May 2026
Holdouts	Tamil Nadu, Kerala
Constitutional entry	Entry 25, Concurrent List (post 42nd Amendment)

Mnemonic — SHRI

Samagra Shiksha is the umbrella scheme; PM-SHRI sits within it. Holdouts: only Tamil Nadu and Kerala now (post-WB). Right to Education (Article 21A + RTE 2009) is the constitutional spine. Implementation: NEP 2020 (Kasturirangan committee), 14,500 schools, 60:40 funding, five-year horizon.