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 World Guarding trust LUCKNOW | SILIGURI | 02 August 2026 S P O RT S Spain plans containment fence after deadly frontier rush Page 6 | Preeti, Jaismine strike Commonwealth Gold Page 12 Page 9 BRIEFLY Anti-paper leak Bill becomes law after Prez Murmu assent New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu has given assent to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026. The legislation, passed by Parliament on Thursday, aims to curb unfair practices in public examinations by introducing stricter punishments and establishing fast-track courts. It seeks to strengthen transparency, fairness, and integrity in the examination system by creating a robust legal framework while protecting the future of students. The Act includes several key provisions, including stringent penalties such as imprisonment of up to ten years, fines of up to 10 crore rupees, and the confiscation of properties belonging to convicted offenders. For speedy disposal of cases, the Act requires every state and Union territory to establish special fast-track courts for day-to-day trials. JeM suspect monitored CM for last 3 months: STF STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 1 August W est Bengal Police’s Special Task Force (STF), which arrested suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed operative Hamim Mondal two days back, on Saturday claimed that the “Pakistanlinked subversive” was specifically targeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and monitoring his movements constantly over the past three months. “The Chief Minister was his specific target. Hamim’s assigned task was to monitor the CM’s movements through the day. He had been doing that for the past three months. Pakistani handlers had entrusted him with this mission,” STF Inspector General Gaurav Sharma said at a Press conference. Mr Sharma said Mr Mondal had links with the ‘Shahzad Bhatti’ gang based in Pakistan. Mr Mondal was arrested by the STF on Thursday evening from a gym at a gated community in Burdwan. Mr Sharma said seasoned STF detectives have obtained explosive information while interrogating Mr Mondal. He explained that they had first received leads regarding several handlers, which eventually led them to Mr Mondal. The sleuths confirmed his links to Pakistan after Legendary mountaineer Nirmal Purja confirmed killed in Broad Peak avalanche STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 1 August Legendary mountaineer Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, the Nepal-born climber who redefined high-altitude mountaineering by scaling all 14 of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks in a record six months and six days, has died in an avalanche on Broad Peak, the world’s 12th-highest mountain, it was confirmed on Saturday. Purja and five other climbers had been missing since Friday after an avalanche struck their expedition on Broad Peak’s standard West Ridge route at an altitude of around 21,60021,850 feet. His expedition company, Elite Exped, confirmed the news in an emotional statement on Instagram on Saturday. “Today, it is with profound sadness and immense heartbreak that we confirm that Nirmal ‘Nimsdai’ Purja, tragically lost his life following the avalanche on Broad Peak. We have also received confirmation that other members of the expedition sadly did not survive.” The company confirmed the deaths of Purja’s trusted climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa. “Today, we mourn not only Nims, but every life lost in this tragedy including his trusted climbing partners and guides, Pur Bahadur Gurung (Yukta) and Nima Sherpa. Our deepest thoughts, prayers and heartfelt condolences are with their families, friends and loved ones. No words can ease the pain of this unimaginable loss, and we ask that everyone respects their privacy as they grieve.” Broad Peak is located in the Karakoram range, close to K2, along the border between Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region and China’s Xinjiang. Purja was widely regarded as one of the greatest highaltitude climbers of his generation. A former member of the Brigade of Gurkhas and the Royal Marines’ Special Boat Service (SBS), he left the military to pursue professional mountaineering and quickly rewrote the sport’s record books. grilling him, he claimed. The questioning revealed Hamim followed several handlers, including individuals named Rana and Uzair, on Instagram. They communicated using encrypted codes and occasionally utilised Telegram and WhatsApp, conducting all operations covertly via social media. The Pakistani handlers primarily focused on radicalising individuals through indoctrination. Rahul Gandhi, Awadhesh Prasad, Pappu Yadav face FIR: Varanasi: An FIR was registered on Saturday at Varanasi’s Kotwali police station against MPs Rahul Gandhi, Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, and Awadhesh Prasad following a complaint by seers regarding an Opposition protest held within the Parliament complex. Led by Jagadguru Balak Devacharya, the head of Patalpuri Math, a group of seers visited the Kotwali police station and submitted a written complaint. Acting on the complaint, the police registered a case. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Kashi Zone) Gaurav Banswal stated that a written complaint had been received. Page 8 Monsoon 2026, July surprises ~ how ‘Super El Niño’ foxed everyone VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 1 August The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) do not officially define a ‘Super El Niño’ ~ a point also clarified by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh in a recent written reply to the Rajya Sabha. Still, the phrase was widely used to make alarming predictions about the 2026 Southwest Monsoon. Almost since the beginning of the year, social media platforms were flooded with discussions around the so-called “Super El Niño”, with many predicting below-normal monsoon rainfall. According to the IMD, operationally, El Niño events are classified as weak, moderate, strong or very strong based on the magnitude of sea surface temperature anomalies over the equatorial central Pacific Ocean. This year, El Niño conditions remained weak during June and intensified to moderate levels in July. Cumulatively, India has so far received 366.1 mm of rainfall against the normal of 428.3 mm ~ a deficit of 15 per cent but not as grim as was initially thought. July, meanwhile, delivered a surprise, defying forecasts of below-normal rainfall despite a strengthening El Niño, and reinforcing scientists' warnings that climate change is altering the country’s most awaited weather phenomenon. It also underlined that the exact intensity and impact of the June-September monsoon over the Indian region depend on the evolution of coupled ocean-atmosphere conditions, of which El Niño is only one factor. Other climatic factors, particularly the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), also play an important role in influencing the monsoon. For example, in 1997, despite a strong El Niño, a strongly positive IOD offset its adverse impact on the monsoon. In other words, despite El Niño conditions, India can still receive normal or even abovenormal monsoon rainfall. In general, El Niño years carry around a 60 per cent chance of below-normal rainfall, but there are notable exceptions ~ in 1997, India received 102 per cent rainfall, while 2004 witnessed weak El Niño conditions, but rainfall dropped sharply to 87 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA). Mr Sharma added that “Hamim fell victim to this process. He subsequently became an active member of the Pakistani militant group ‘Shahzad Bhatti’ and began operations in Bengal. He was tasked with closely monitoring the Chief Minister’s movements ~ tracking where he went, his daily activities, and identifying locations where security was relatively relaxed”. According to the STF, his specific responsibility was to identify ‘unguarded locations’ so that it would be easier to devise the blueprint for the conspiracy. Asked whether Hamim also received money from Pakistan, the STF chief stated that bank accounts are being examined to verify if there were any financial transactions with Pakistan. After the arrest Hamim was produced before the Burdwan ACJMs court on Saturday, where the court remanded him to 13 days in STF custody. PM unveils major Andhra Pradesh infrastructure push STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 1 August Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday laid the foundation stone, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 17,900 crore in Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh’s Vizianagaram district, saying the initiatives spanning aviation, clean energy, semiconductors and connectivity would accelerate the state’s development and strengthen its role in India’s journey towards becoming a developed nation. Addressing a public gathering, the Prime Minister described the occasion as a milestone for the state’s “Swarna Andhra” vision and said the projects reflected the rapid pace of development in Andhra Pradesh. “Today’s projects across aviation, clean energy, semiconductors and connectivity will contribute to the state’s development. These development works are a true symbol of the incredible speed at which Andhra Pradesh is advancing,” Mr Modi said. The Prime Minister said the event was historic not only because of the infrastructure projects but also because of the cultural achievements showcased during the programme, including a recordsetting performance of the traditional Dhimsa dance by more than 13,000 tribal women. He said the display reflected India’s rich tribal heritage and cultural diversity. Recalling the legacy of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju, Mr Modi said the new airport inaugurated in Bhogapuram stood on the same land where the revolutionary had dedicated his life to the welfare of tribal communities. The Prime Minister announced that the airport would be named after Alluri Sitarama Raju, saying every traveller passing through it would draw inspiration from the freedom fighter’s patriotism and sacrifice. Highlighting the transformation of India’s aviation sector over the past decade, Mr Modi said the number of operational airports had increased from 74 in 2014 to 166, enabling people from smaller cities to travel by air. He credited the Centre’s UDAN scheme with making air travel accessible to ordinary citizens and noted that the government had recently launched the scheme's second phase with an investment of Rs 29,000 crore.