PMJVK funds to Kerala stalled since 2022

The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs did not approve any projects proposed by Kerala under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) between 2022 and 2025 because the State had around ₹199 crore as unused Central funds. The State Department for Minority Welfare has since taken steps to utilise this amount and is hoping that new projects will be approved this year.

The PMJVK is a Centrally-sponsored scheme under which community infrastructure is created in sectors such as health, education, and skill development in identified areas. It is implemented in all districts, including those selected as aspirational districts. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju had said on December 10 that no funds had been allotted to Kerala under the scheme after 2021-22.

Meanwhile, replying to a query posed under the Right to Information Act by Kannur-based ophthalmologist K.V. Babu, the Ministry said on December 29 that 19 units with an estimated cost of ₹129.9 crore were approved for Kerala, and ₹38.6 crore were released in the 2021-22 financial year. It said that for the period between 2022 and 2025, “no proposal has been received from the State government so far”. The reply by Sravan Kumar Jatavath, Deputy Secretary, PMJVK, says that since PMJVK is a “demand-driven scheme”, fund allocation is not made under it.

However, an official in the State Department of Minority Welfare told The Hindu on Thursday (January 1) that the Ministry stopped releasing new funds to Kerala in 2023 because it had around ₹199 crore as unused funds even though the State-level committee (SLC) proposed at least 38 new projects in that year.

The State departments are supposed to upload the details of the proposed projects on the Ministry’s website once the SLC approves them. When approval was again sought in 2024, questions were raised about the possible escalation of costs for the implementation of the projects. Thereafter, the local bodies were allowed to use their own funds for their completion. “Almost ₹158 crore of the unused funds have been utilised now. The next SLC meeting is scheduled for January 5. At least seven projects will be cleared there. We will again seek Central approval for them,” the official said.

Following Mr. Rijiju’s reply, Shashi Tharoor, Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on December 20, “There was no time to discuss the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Yojana during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha, but it’s striking that the Minister of Minority Affairs revealed in a written answer to the House that NO funds have been allotted to Kerala under PMJVK since 2021. This, despite the Annexure listing 34 Minority Concentration Areas in the State! Could the Government explain why?” Mr. Tharoor had also said that many government schools in these areas were in a deplorable state, with leaky roofs and crumbling infrastructure. “Did the State government fail to submit any proposals under the PMJVK scheme, or did GoI reject all the proposals Kerala made? Surely a State with such a large minority population deserves better from a scheme designed to benefit minorities?”