Centre says funds will be released if schemes are implemented in TN

new delhi: the centre on tuesday said funds meant for tamil nadu under centrally sponsored education schemes would be released only if the state government implements the projects without imposing conditions, union education minister dharmendra pradhan said in the rajya sabha.responding to concerns raised by dmk mp girirajan during question hour over the non-release of pending funds under the samagra shiksha scheme, pradhan said the union government follows a uniform approach for all states, including tamil nadu, kerala and west bengal.girirajan said chief minister m k stalin had personally met prime minister narendra modi and sought the release of rs 2,150 crore due to tamil nadu for the samagra shiksha scheme in the 2024-25 financial year, and demanded an assurance from the centre.pradhan said nearly half of the scheme allocation had already been released to tamil nadu and kerala. he questioned why only tamil nadu was raising repeated objections while not fully implementing centrally sponsored education schemes.the minister also cited recent observations of the supreme court, which had questioned why key central educational institutions, including jawahar navodaya vidyalayas, had not been established in tamil nadu. he said navodaya schools, known for their modern facilities and quality education, were not being allowed to function in the state.“these funds belong to the children of tamil nadu. the prime minister is determined to release them. but the state must respect the federal structure and implement the schemes as agreed,” pradhan said.he added that the centre remains committed to releasing samagra shiksha funds once the state moves forward with implementation in line with the approved framework.