CM Stalin urges PM Modi to release Rs 2,152 crore Samagra Shiksha funds
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the immediate release of Rs 2,152 crore under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) amid an ongoing language row.
Stalin expressed deep concern over Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s remarks, which suggested that the funds would not be released unless Tamil Nadu implements the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
“This has created immense anxiety and unrest among students, political parties, and the general public in our state,” Stalin stated in his letter. He reiterated Tamil Nadu’s long-standing commitment to the two-language policy, emphasising that it is deeply rooted in the state’s educational and social structure.
The Chief Minister recalled that Tamil Nadu had already raised strong objections to several provisions of NEP 2020.
“These concerns were formally communicated in my letter dated 27th August 2024, and a detailed memorandum was personally submitted to you on 27th September 2024. However, despite these multiple representations, the Samagra Shiksha funds for 2024-2025 remain unreleased,” he stated.
Stalin strongly opposed the linking of SSA funds with the implementation of NEP and the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) initiative, calling it “fundamentally unacceptable”. He criticised the Union government for allegedly using the withholding of funds as a “pressure tactic” to coerce Tamil Nadu into adopting centrally mandated programmes, arguing that this was a direct violation of cooperative federalism.
“This will grossly undermine the states’ rights to shape their own education policies based on their specific needs,” he wrote.