Delhi confidential: The Letter

LAST MONTH, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced setting up of 100 Sainik Schools across the country in PPP mode. Sainik Schools are run by the Defence Ministry and are meant to prepare students to lead as officers in the armed forces. However, a few weeks after the Budget announcement, a letter went out to all regional offices of the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti seeking names of five existing Navodaya Vidyalayas that can be converted into Sainik Schools. The letter was flagged on social media this week, with Twitter handles tagging the Education Minister and asking him why the government is converting existing JNVs into Sainik Schools when the promise was to set up 100 new ones. The letter, curiously, was withdrawn on Monday.

Fresh Trouble

AFTER FARM Bills and draft of Electricity amendment Bill, the central is now faced with criticism of the Centre crossing federal boundaries over the proposed Blue Economy draft policy. While MPs from some coastal states are agitated over some clauses in the draft policy by the Economic Advisory Council to Prime Minister, Kerala MPs have already approached the Union Fisheries Minister with a memorandum seeking to keep it in abeyance till all stake holders have been consulted. Congress MPs T N Pratapan and Hibi Eden said the proposal to create a National Placer Mission to harness the coastal and offshore placer minerals is an “intervention and encroachment on rights of the state” apart from endangering the livelihood of those who depend on the seas for the benefits of a few. This comes a day after SAD MP Harsimrat Kaur alleged in the Lok Sabha that the new FCI norms are transgression into state’s powers and federal structure.

Code Impact

THE GOVERNMENT’S top think-tank NITI Aayog on Wednesday postponed the launch of SDG India Index report, which was schedule to be launched by NITI Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar. In a communication just hours before the launch event, NITI Aayog said the launch of the Index has been postponed due to “unavoidable circumstances”. An official said the decision to postpone the report launch was taken in view of the model code of conduct in five states, where assembly elections are taking place. While no new date has been given, it is expected to be released only after assembly elections are over.