Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan stated that nothing prevented the state government from not implementing the PM Shri (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme and questioned Chief Minister V D Satheesan to explain what prompted the UDF to suddenly change its stand on the scheme it had opposed while in the opposition.
Vijayan's Remarks at Press Conference
Addressing a news conference on Thursday, Vijayan said the UDF government had no obligation to implement the PM Shri scheme just because the LDF government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the central government.
"The LDF government had signed an MoU, but it later informed the Centre that the state had no plan to go ahead with the project. This was done following the decision taken by LDF. If LDF had won this year's elections, it would not have revisited the scheme. The UDF government should tell what forced it to embrace the very scheme against which the front spoke volumes while in the opposition," he said.
Clarification on Funds
The opposition leader said it was wrong to claim that the LDF government received PM Shri funds from the Centre last year. "The then government received SSK funds. Nothing is going to happen if Kerala does not get PM Shri funds. The state has already achieved most of the objectives listed in the PM Shri scheme," he added.
Vijayan noted that all Congress-led governments elsewhere in the country had already signed the scheme's MoU without raising objections. The UDF in Kerala is following their path, he added.
Accusations Against UDF Government
Vijayan also accused the UDF government of scuttling the welfare schemes introduced by the LDF government. He claimed that weaker sections in society were subjected to severe hardship due to this obstructive attitude by the new government.
"The programmes for women's safety and connect to work meant for job aspirants have come to a standstill. The state government has introduced severe restrictions on pension distribution. The Finance Department has withheld welfare pension for April and May along with the pension for NRKs," he alleged.
Vijayan asked the government to ensure continuity of welfare programmes introduced by the previous LDF government.
