As the debate on nationalism and patriotism continues to dominate public discourse, an initiative by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government to promote communal harmony and national integration appears to have taken a back seat. In 1998, the Vajpayee government had introduced a scheme under which essay competitions on themes of secularism, communal harmony, and national integration were to be organised every year in educational institutions across the country.After a panel of judges selects the best three essays in their schools or colleges universities, the internal security division of the ministry of home affairs releases funds to be distributed among students for their prize-winning essays.However, 2017 became the third year in a row when the Centre did not release any funds due to poor response from states. HT had filed a Right to Information query for details of prize-winning essays from recent years. Officials said states did not seem to be too enthusiastic to hold the competition.