Centre deputes 137 senior officers to inspect PM SHRI schools; field visits from Feb 16

New Delhi: The Centre has moved to tighten on-ground monitoring of the PM SHRI schools scheme, appointing 137 senior officers as Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) to conduct field inspections across allotted districts between February 16 and 25.

An Office Memorandum issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet secretariat said the decision followed directions given at the 50th PRAGATI meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on December 31, 2025, where states and UTs were asked to nurture PM SHRI schools as exemplar institutions aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and focused on 21 “saturation points” and learning outcomes.

As per the Memorandum, the inspection teams will be headed by officers not below the rank of Joint Secretary. Each team will also include a state government officer of Pay Level 13 or above, with support from the district administration and the district education officer.

The Centre’s move comes as PM SHRI, PM Schools for Rising India, targets over 14,500 schools to be upgraded as model schools by strengthening existing institutions run by the Centre, states, UTs and local bodies.

The concept note attached to the OM pegs the scheme’s total outlay at Rs 27,360 crore over five years, including a central share of Rs 18,128 crore.

It outlines funding with 30 per cent as non-recurring grants and 70 per cent as recurring support, with per-school financial assistance going up to Rs 1 crore for primary schools, Rs 1.3 crore for elementary schools, Rs 2.25 crore for secondary and senior secondary schools, and up to Rs 2.5 crore for KVS, NVS and NCERT demonstration schools over the project period.

The inspection framework asks officers to verify how schools are progressing on the 21 NEP-aligned parameters, including ICT and smart classrooms, internet connectivity, libraries, science labs, playgrounds and sports facilities, vocational skill labs, green-school features such as solar panels and rainwater harvesting, youth and eco clubs, school innovation councils, teacher and principal capacity-building, BaLA and Jadui Pitara for early grades, career counselling, self-defence training for girls, sanitation facilities and “bagless days”.

The note also underlines that PM SHRI schools are expected to serve as demonstration sites for NEP pedagogy for neighbouring schools, with a focus on competency-based teaching and assessments, foundational literacy and numeracy, and improved board exam performance where applicable.

The Memorandum includes a state-wise and district-wise annexure of CNOs and states that for clarifications, officers may contact designated officials in the Department of School Education and Literacy.