SFI Demands UDF Withdraw from PM SHRI; Calls for United Fight to Secure SSA Funds Without Implementing Scheme

Thiruvananthapuram: The Students Federation of India (SFI) has demanded that the UDF government withdraw from the PM SHRI scheme, which it described as a Central government conspiracy to communalise education and impose the National Education Policy on Kerala — a move it said is aimed at introducing Sangh Parivar content into the state's schools.

SFI state secretary P S Sanjeev, writing on Facebook, said while securing SSA (Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan) funds is Keralam's legitimate right, it must not be done by implementing PM SHRI. The Centre's position — that SSA funds will only be released if Keralam signs onto PM SHRI — is unacceptable, he said, as it would lead to the communalisation of education. That is precisely what the V D Satheesan government is now attempting to implement.

Sanjeev clarified that SFI's position is not one of blanket opposition to all Central schemes, and that the organisation is ready to join a united struggle to secure SSA funds through other means. PM SHRI, however, must stay where it belongs — in the Arabian Sea. He called on the government to convene a meeting of all student organisations in the state under the newly formed sub-committee to collectively deliberate on how SSA funds can be obtained without acceding to the PM SHRI condition, taking students into confidence rather than proceeding unilaterally. He also warned the government against continuing to peddle the falsehood that there is no going back from PM SHRI or that the withdrawal letter was never sent by the previous government.