Sun Dec 08 17:50:17 UTC 2024: ## Tamil Nadu Deputy CM Condemns PM Vishwakarma Scheme as Anti-Education
**Chennai, December 8, 2024** – Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has strongly criticized the Union government’s PM Vishwakarma scheme, alleging it is designed to prevent students from marginalized communities from pursuing higher education. Speaking at a function in Chennai on Sunday, Mr. Stalin accused a “group in Delhi” of being intolerant of the educational advancements made by students from Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes, and oppressed sections of society.
He asserted that the scheme, which promotes traditional vocational skills, is a thinly veiled attempt to steer students away from formal schooling and into hereditary occupations, essentially a modern form of caste-based labor (“kula kalvi”). Mr. Stalin contrasted this with the Tamil Nadu government’s initiatives aimed at encouraging higher education, stating that the state will not implement the PM Vishwakarma scheme. He called for cooperation in supporting state government programs focused on education and sports. His remarks highlighted the ongoing tension between the state and the central government on education policies.
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