The Tamil Nadu government said in its petition that the Union government linked the release of Samagra Siksha scheme funds with the implementation of NEP and PM SHRI despite the schemes being separate.
Published May 21, 2025 | 10:16 AM ⚊ Updated May 21, 2025 | 10:21 AM
Tamil Nadu moves Supreme Court against Union government for withholding Samagra Shiksha scheme funds.
Synopsis: The Tamil Nadu government filed a suit in the Supreme Court alleging that the Union government was withholding funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme over non-implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and PM SHRI.
The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday, 20 May, filed a suit in the Supreme Court alleging that the Union government was withholding funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme over non-implementation of the National Education Policy 2020 and PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India).
The state has filed the suit under Article 131 of the Indian Constitution seeking direction to the Union to pay it ₹2291 crore.
The Tamil Nadu government said in its petition that the Union government linked the release of Samagra Shiksha scheme funds with the implementation of NEP and PM SHRI despite the schemes being separate.
In the suit filed by advocate Sabarish Subramanian, the state government said the Project Approval Board, after being satisfied with the due compliance of all the components by Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme, allocated ₹3585.99 crore as the total outlay for expenditure under the scheme on 16 February 2024.
It said, under the 60:40 sharing basis, the Central share for the fiscal 2024-25 amounted to ₹2151,59,61,000 out of the total budget of ₹3,585.99 crore and was due and payable to Tamil Nadu from 1 April 2024.
Tamil Nadu said the failure of the Union government to pay its obligatory share under the Samagra Shiksha scheme for 2024-25, as approved by the Project Approval Board, has led to a complete halt in the implementation of the directives under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme and the implementation of the RTE Act, 2009
It contended that the non-disbursal of funds has affected a total of 43,94,906 students, 2,21,817 Teachers and 32,701 Staff members.
Tamil Nadu said that the Union government linked the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the PM SHRI scheme and the implementation of the NEP-2020 was due to its “vociferous opposition to the Clause 4.13 of the NEP-2020 which envisages three-language formula”.
It said the Union government’s act of withholding Tamil Nadu’s entitlement to receive funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme is an ignorance of the doctrine of co-operative federalism, usurpation of the Constitutional powers of the state.
It added that Union government was trying to coerce and force Tamil Nadu to implement the NEP-2020 in its entirety and to deviate from the education regime that it has been following.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, while presenting the 2025 State Budget on 14 March had slammed the Union government over withholding the funds.
“Even at this critical juncture, the people of Tamil Nadu have wholeheartedly rallied behind the chief minister for upholding the dignity of the state by standing firm on the bilingual policy, even at the cost of foregoing ₹2,000 crore rupees,” he had said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
