www.thestatesman.com | FOLLOW US: India’s National Newspaper since 1818 @TheStatesmanLtd | Pages 12 Editorial | @thestatesmanltd ` 5.00 | People’s Parliament, Always in Session thestatesman1875 KOLKATA | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR Perspective | LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | 26 July 2026 S P O RT S Page 6 Ethanol transition needs a second look Clinical India thrash Zimbabwe by 90 runs to seal series 2-0 Page 7 Fatal faultlines Page 12 Cockroach Janta Party scores big as Pradhan finally resigns Pralhad Joshi given charge of Education Min: STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 25 July U nion Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday announced his resignation from the Union Cabinet, conceding one of the key demands of protesters who have been camping at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over alleged examintion irregularities and the NEET paper leak. Mr Pradhan announced his decision in a letter addressed to the country’s youth and posted on X after submitting his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, just hours before the third round of talks between the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the Centre. “We will not let the country’s youth power fall into a web of confusion ~ this is my resolve,” Mr Pradhan said in the letter. The minister’s resignation marked a significant political milestone, making him the second Union minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to resign under sustained public pressure after M J Akbar (during the first term of the Modi government). Govt set to introduce anti-paper leak Bill in Lok Sabha on Monday His exit fulfilled the protesters’ principal demand and is expected to break the deadlock in talks between the Centre and the CJP. Calling the decision “not a matter of personal prestige,” Mr Pradhan said he stepped down to ensure that the ongoing agitation was not exploited by “anti-national forces” and that students’ futures were not jeopardised. “The situation that has emerged at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere New Delhi, 25 July The Centre will introduce and seek passage of the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026 in the Lok Sabha on Monday, 27 July, as part of its legislative push to crack down on examination paper leaks and restore confidence in India’s public examination system in the wake of the nationwide outrage over the alleged NEET-UG 2026 paper leak and other examinationrelated controversies. According to the Lok Sabha List of Business for Monday, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh will move for leave to introduce the Bill and also seek that the legislation, which proposes amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, be taken into consideration and passed by the House. The move follows the Union Cabinet’s approval on Friday of the amendment Bill proposing significantly tougher punishments for those involved in examination fraud. The proposed legislation is aimed at strengthening the existing legal framework by prescribing harsher penalties, ensuring faster prosecution through fast-track courts and creating a stronger deterrent against organised paper leak rackets. According to media reports, the Bill proposes increasing the maximum punishment for paper leak offences to 10 years’ imprisonment along with a fine of up to Rs 10 crore. It also seeks to raise the minimum jail term for those convicted in such cases from the existing three years to five years. Besides enhancing punishments, the legislation is expected to streamline investigations and trials through fast-track judicial mechanisms to ensure quicker convictions and timely justice. The proposed amendments come against the backdrop of widespread public anger over alleged irregularities in competitive and recruitment examinations, particularly the alleged NEETUG 2026 paper leak, which triggered massive student protests across the country and evolved into one of the biggest political challenges confronting the government. The controversy has also dominated the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, with Congress and other INDIA bloc parties repeatedly disrupting proceedings in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha while demanding the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and accusing the government of failing to protect the integrity of public examinations. The Opposition has maintained that it will not participate in substantive parliamentary discussions until political accountability is fixed, leading to repeated adjournments that largely washed out the first week of the Monsoon Session. STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 25 July The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Saturday announced the immediate withdrawal of its agitation over the NEET examination issue, after the government accepted all the demands of the party, including the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and withdrawal of FIRs against all protesters. “All our demands have been accepted. We request all our supporters and protesters, whether they are present at Jantar Mantar or at other locations, to withdraw peacefully,” said CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka, at a joint Press conference with Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and Union Minister Jitendra Singh. The government will give “honourable compensation” within rules to the families of the students who committed suicide after the NEET test cancellation and ensure withdrawal of all FIRs registered against the protesters, said Mr Nadda. Mr Das said the government had also agreed to withdraw all FIRs registered against protesters in Delhi as well as in BJP-ruled and allied-ruled states. “Around 15-20 FIRs were registered in Delhi, and copies of all the FIRs will be shared within three to five days,” Mr Das said, adding that the government had assured that no further action would be taken against protesters or organisers, either now or in the future. The CJP has been spearheading protests since 20 June, with a continuous sit-in at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, demanding accountability for the alleged NEETUG 2026 paper leak and irregularities in the CBSE’s on-screen evaluation process. The agitation also sought CM Suvendu vows action over violence during Friday’s rally, says 70 identified STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 25 July SHAHID K ABBAS in the country should not be exploited by anti-national forces. The unity of the country must remain intact. The future of every student should not get entangled in legal complications,” he said Asserting that events of the past 10 days had left him “deeply saddened”, he also alleged that “certain individuals” holding positions of responsibility had attempted to mislead students. New Delhi: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on Saturday was assigned the charge of the Ministry of Education after President Droupadi Murmu accepted the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan from the Union Council of Ministers. Mr Pradhan’s resignation was accepted with immediate effect, and Mr Joshi will continue to hold his existing portfolio along with the Education Ministry charge. Pralhad Joshi, Union Minister and a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from Dharwad constituency in Karnataka, is shouldering the responsibilities of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and Minister of New and Renewable Energy. CJP withdraws agitation as govt accepts all demands West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly over two politically charged issues ~ the violence during Friday’s NEET question paper leak protest in the city and the alleged irregularities in the Sebaashray medical outreach programme associated with Trinamul Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee. Accusing the Opposition of promoting disorder on the streets while simultaneously violating multiple laws in the name of public welfare, the Chief Minister announced stringent legal action against those responsible in both cases. Speaking on the disruption during Friday’s protest rally in Kolkata over the alleged NEET paper leak, Mr Adhikari described the violence as “hooliganism” carried out under the guise of democratic protest. He said the state government had already identified around 70 persons allegedly involved in the unrest, claiming that many of them were neither students nor members of the organisation that had called the demonstration but “outsiders” who had infiltrated the gathering. The Chief Minister said six criminal cases had already been registered in connection with the violence and that provisions of the Goonda Act had been invoked against the accused. Issuing a stern warning, he said the government would ensure such exemplary punishment that “seven generations would remember it.” Mr Adhikari strongly condemned the alleged attacks on journalists during the protest, stating that media personnel were deliberately targeted with bottles and shoes. He also praised Kolkata Police for exercising restraint despite repeated provocation, saying the force had avoided the use of excessive force while maintaining law and order. Naming several alleged accused, including Afroz, Nahid, Tanvir, Rahul and Jamal, the Chief Minister said strict legal action would be taken against them. In protest against the attack on journalists, BJP legislators, led by the party’s chief whip Amlan Bhaduri, will wear black badges and hold a demonstration near the Ambedkar statue on the Assembly premises, he announced. The issue also triggered a heated exchange inside the House when CPI-M MLA Mustafizur Rahman attempted to intervene. Responding sharply, Mr Adhikari alleged that the Opposition had anticipated violence during the rally. “You had already asked your supporters to carry water bottles. If throwing eggs cannot be called culture, how can throwing bottles and shoes at journalists be considered acceptable?” he said. Trinamul’s Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay however said the organisers were there without arms and weapons so anti-hooligans law must not be applied on them. The Chief Minister later turned his attention to the Sebaashray health camps allegedly linked to Mr Baner- jee, accusing the programme of serious violations of medical and regulatory norms. Calling it a “scam”, Mr Adhikari alleged that X-ray and ultrasonography machines had been illegally removed from authorised facilities and used outside permitted premises. He further claimed that doctors from government medical colleges had been taken away from their official duties to work in the camps, describing the entire exercise as a gross misuse of public healthcare infrastructure. sweeping reforms in the conduct of competitive examinations and greater transparency in the examination system. According to the C JP delegation, the government is expected to provide a written guarantee by Tuesday confirming the withdrawal of the cases and other assurances. The two sides also held detailed discussions on the CJP’s five-point charter seeking reforms in the education and examination system. Mr Nadda said deliberations on the five-point charter would continue, and another round of talks would be held to discuss the proposals in greater detail. Mr Das said the two sides would meet again after four weeks to continue discussions on the submitted charter. CM orders suspension of IPS officer, four other cops: Kolkata: Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday announced disciplinary action against an IPS officer and four police personnel in connection with a series of controversial incidents that took place during the previous Trinamul Congress government, asserting that the administration would ensure accountability for alleged misuse of the police force and actions that hurt public sentiment. Making a statement in the Assembly during the discussion on the Home Department, the Chief Minister said the government had decided to initiate suspension, registration of FIRs and departmental proceedings against the officers concerned following preliminary inquiries into the incidents. Superintendent of Police of Sundarban Police District, IPS officer Koteswara Rao, was among those suspended. Page 3 CAG flags inflated Amphan claims, duplicate payouts STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 25 July The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged serious irregularities in West Bengal’s assessment and distribution of relief following Cyclone Amphan, including an “exaggerated and unrealistically high” damage assessment, duplicate payments to 9,226 bene- ficiaries and discrepancies in bank account details involving Rs 125.07 crore. The CAG report on the state’s response to the Super Cyclonic Storm Amphan that hit the state in 2020 was tabled in the West Bengal Assembly on Saturday. Bibhudutta Basantia, the Principal Account General (Audit-I) said during the day that the CAG had shared the reports with the state government but no action was taken in the past four years. The Trinamul Congress (TMC) was at the helm of the state between 2011 and 2026. “We had shared our findings and reports with the state government. However, we could not table or release the reports. No action taken reports were submitted to us by the state government agencies either,” Mr Basantia said. Amphan had made landfall along the West Bengal-Bangladesh coast on 20 May 2020. The cyclone affected 16 districts and nearly 60 per cent of West Bengal’s population, claimed 99 lives and caused extensive damage to houses, agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, forests, power and other infra- structure. According to the report, the then state government had sought Central assistance of Rs 35,018 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), with Central assistance of Rs 2,707.77 crore recommended. “The claim sent by the previous state government was inflated by Rs 32310.23 crore. A large section of the claim was with regard to damages caused to houses. When the Central teams visited the affected areas where damaged houses were reported by the state, they could find no such damage. Many beneficiaries received financial assistance multiple times. The same photographs of damaged houses were uploaded under the names of multiple beneficiaries,” a senior CAG official said. The audit said the state’s assessment of damages for claiming Central assistance was “exaggerated and unrealistically high” and was not supported by adequate evidence of actual losses. The damage assessment prepared by the Disaster Management and Civil Defence Department could not be verified in the absence of district-wise damage assessment reports. The CAG found that house-building grants were credited more than once into the bank accounts of 9,226 beneficiaries, involving payments of Rs 18.07 crore, indicating serious deficiencies in beneficiary selection and inadequate checks before direct benefit transfers. It also detected mismatches between bank account numbers in beneficiary lists and those recorded in vouchers and bank scrolls in South 24-Parganas, Nadia, West Midnapore and East Midnapore districts. The discrepancies involved 1,44,175 cases and Rs 125.07 crore. The audit noted that up to June 2020, all damaged households were given Rs 20,000 each as housebuilding grants. Subsequently, fully damaged houses received Rs 20,000, while those with partial damage were given Rs 5,000. The rationale for fixing the revised rates was not found on record. In another instance, horticulture assistance of Rs 2.82 crore was paid to 5,627 beneficiaries based on a beneficiary list prepared for Cyclone Bulbul, which hit the state in November 2019.