Centre Withholds SSA Funds to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal for FY 2024-25

As of March 27, 2025, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal have not received any funds from the central share under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), despite having approved allocations for the financial year 2024–25. This was revealed by Minister of State for Education Jayant Choudhary in a reply to a question raised by CPI(M) MP John Brittas in the Rajya Sabha.

What is the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)?

The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is the flagship school education scheme of the Ministry of Education, aiming to improve school infrastructure, provide textbooks, ensure teacher training, and fund salaries, among other critical components. It integrates three erstwhile schemes:

• Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
• Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan
• Teacher Education

The SSA plays a vital role in strengthening foundational education, particularly in rural and underserved regions of India.

Zero Fund Disbursement Despite Approved Allocations

Despite having approved allocations for FY 2024–25:

• Kerala was approved ₹ 328.90 crore
• Tamil Nadu ₹ 2,151.60 crore
• West Bengal ₹ 1,745.80 crore

As per data presented in Parliament, no central funds had been released to these three states under SSA as of March 27, 2025.

This is in stark contrast to the overall disbursement figures: out of the total central allocation of ₹ 45,830.21 crore to 36 States and Union Territories, ₹ 27,833.50 crore had been released to all other entities except Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

Criteria for Releasing SSA Funds

The Ministry of Education stated that the release of SSA funds to states and UTs depends on multiple compliance-based criteria such as:

• Pace of expenditure of previously released funds
• Receipt of the State’s matching share
• Submission of audited accounts
• Statements of outstanding advances
• Up-to-date expenditure statements
• Audited utilisation certificates

These procedural requirements are designed to ensure accountability and efficient utilization of resources.

Centre-State Tensions Over NEP and PM-SHRI Schools

The funding freeze, particularly for Tamil Nadu, occurs in the backdrop of policy disagreements between the State Government and the Centre. Tamil Nadu has refused to implement the three-language formula outlined under the National Education Policy (NEP) and has also declined to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the implementation of the PM-SHRI schools scheme (PM Schools for Rising India).

This refusal has reportedly led to the withholding of SSA funds, even though SSA and PM-SHRI are separate schemes.

Parliamentary Panel’s Strong Observations

A Parliamentary Standing Committee had earlier criticized the Ministry’s decision to link SSA fund disbursement with states’ willingness to adopt unrelated schemes such as PM-SHRI. The panel stated that this move was:

• “Not justifiable”
• “Severely impacting” school operations in these states
• Causing delays in teacher salaries, Right to Education (RTE) reimbursements, and transportation services in remote areas

The committee thus recommended that the Ministry of Education should immediately release the pending SSA funds to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal to avoid disruption in:

• School maintenance
• Teacher training programs
• Educational resources for underprivileged students

Wider Impact of Fund Withholding

The consequences of withholding SSA funds are significant:

• Disruption of educational services in government schools
• Delays in salaries of lakhs of teachers
• Impact on transport and mid-day meal schemes
• Hindrance in training and hiring of teaching staff
• Negative effects on Right to Education (RTE) implementation

Such delays are feared to widen the education gap, particularly in marginalized communities that rely on government-supported schooling.

Summary of the Issue in Tabular Form

Aspect	Details
Why in News	Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal received zero SSA funds till Mar 27, 2025
States Affected	Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
Approved Central Allocation FY25	Kerala: ₹ 328.90 Cr, TN: ₹ 2,151.60 Cr, WB: ₹ 1,745.80 Cr
Funds Released (as of Mar 27)	₹ 0 to these three states
Total SSA Allocation (India)	₹ 45,830.21 crore
Funds Released (Overall)	₹ 27,833.50 crore (excluding Kerala, TN, WB)
Highest Recipient	Uttar Pradesh – Allocated: ₹ 6,971.26 Cr; Released: ₹ 4,487.46 Cr
Reason for Withholding	Procedural issues, policy disagreements (e.g., three-language formula, PM-SHRI MoU)
Parliamentary Panel Stance	Withholding SSA funds due to unrelated MoUs is “not justifiable”
Impact	Disruption in salaries, training, school infrastructure, RTE implementation
Recommendation	Immediate release of pending SSA funds to prevent disruption