According to Basu, despite the Ministry of Finance and the Internal Finance Division of the Ministry of Education clearing the release of the third instalment for West Bengal under the SSM, the funds have not been disbursed to the state. Read
West Bengal's Education Minister, Bratya Basu, has accused the central government of withholding the third instalment of the Sarva Shiksha Mission (SSM) funds meant for the state. Basu made these allegations in a recent social media post, stating that the delay is due to West Bengal's failure to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre regarding the PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri School for Rising India) scheme.
According to Basu, despite the Ministry of Finance and the Internal Finance Division of the Ministry of Education clearing the release of the third instalment for West Bengal under the SSM, the funds have not been disbursed to the state. Basu criticized the linkage of fund release for one scheme with the participation in another, deeming it unethical and illegal.
Basu further questioned the naming of the scheme as PM SHRI when the state is contributing 40% of the share, labeling the situation as petty politics.
Addressing reporters, Basu expressed his dismay at what he characterized as the vindictive behavior of the central government. He emphasized that withholding funds after their official release negatively impacts the student community's interests.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Gujarat Education Minister has announced the launch of an online learning platform called Shiksha Reform.
The Sarva Shiksha Mission (SSM) is an integrated scheme aimed at improving school education from pre-school to class 12 levels, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal for Education (SDG-4).