Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Wednesday decided to put on hold the implementation of the PM SHRI school scheme in the state, giving in to the pressure mounted by the CPI, a key ally of the Left Democratic Front.

The CPI leadership had publicly criticised the government’s decision to sign an MoU with the Centre to secure central funds, arguing that joining the scheme would compel the state to adopt the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and pave the way for the implementation of the RSS agenda in the education sector. The party had decided to boycott the cabinet meetings held on Wednesdays as a mark of protest.

Eager to resolve the differences with a crucial ally ahead of the local and Assembly polls, Vijayan held a meeting with CPM state secretary M.V. Govindan and general secretary M.A. Baby and urged general education minister V. Sivankutty to write to the Centre asking them to freeze the PM SHRI pact.

A copy of the letter was sent to CPI general secretary D. Raja, which prompted all four CPI ministers to take part in the cabinet meeting.

“Our demand to freeze the MoU is the most sensible thing to do now. If the Centre doesn’t agree, we will see what can be done then,” Raja said in New Delhi.

After the cabinet meeting, Vijayan told the media that a seven-member cabinet sub-committee had been constituted to assess the provisions of PM SHRI and study ways to exclude its controversial content.

Vijayan also announced a slew of welfare schemes at the media briefing. “The social welfare pension will be raised from ₹1,600 to ₹2,000. One instalment of the pending 4 per cent dearness allowance arrears for government employees and pensioners will be released along with the November salary. ASHA workers’ monthly honorarium will be increased by ₹1,000, and their pending arrears will also be distributed,”
he said.