FOLLOW US: @TheStatesmanLtd @thestatesmanltd thestatesman1875 www.thestatesman.com People’s Parliament, Always in Session India’s National Newspaper since 1818 | Pages 16 | ` 5.00 | KOLKATA LC | NEW DELHI | MUMBAI | BHUBANESWAR | LUCKNOW SILIGURI | Thursday, 16 July 2026 SPORTS WORLD China’s waiting game Iran threatens to halt West Asia energy exports after US reimposes blockade Page 8 Page 11 EDITORIAL PAGE | Oyarzabal, Porro fire Spain into final PERSPECTIVE Bengal cannot afford to miss the AI bus Page 15 Page 9 PM hails India-UK pacts as new chapter in bilateral partnership STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 15 July P rime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday welcomed the coming into force of the IndiaUnited Kingdom Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Agreement on Social Security, saying the landmark accords would strengthen economic ties, boost trade and investment, and generate fresh opportunities for businesses, professionals and workers in both countries. In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister described the implementation of the two agreements as “a significant moment in the India-United Kingdom partnership” and said they reflected the shared vision of both countries to expand cooperation across trade, technology, investment and innovation. “With the coming into force of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement and the Agreement on Social Security, our economic linkages are going to get even deeper. Together, these agreements translate our shared ambition into tangible opportunities for our people,” PM Modi said. He said the CETA would provide a major boost to India’s farmers, entrepreneurs and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), while improving access to the UK market for Indian industries. “The CETA will give fresh momentum to our farmers, entrepreneurs and MSMEs. Several vibrant sectors will gain stronger access to the UK market. It will also deepen cooperation in technology, professional services and innovation, while supporting greater mobility for skilled Indian talent,” the PM said. Highlighting the significance of the Social Security Agreement, Mr Modi said it would provide substantial support to Indian professionals working in the United Kingdom on temporary assignments and enhance the competitiveness of Indian companies operating there. Textiles, pharma, IT winners as India-UK CETA comes into force New Delhi: India and the United Kingdom on Wednesday operationalised the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a landmark pact expected to accelerate bilateral trade, improve market access for Indian businesses and provide social security relief to thousands of professionals working in Britain. The agreement comes into force alongside the Double Contribution Convention (DCC), a separate social security arrangement that exempts eligible Indian professionals on temporary assignments in the UK from making social security payments mandatory in both countries. The exemption period has also been increased from three years to five years. The trade pact is one of India’s most comprehensive bilateral economic agreements, extending beyond tariff reductions to include services, investment, professional mobility and regulatory cooperation. Negotiations for the agreement began in 2021 under the India-UK Enhanced Trade Partnership and the Roadmap 2030 framework. Page 12 Modi govt nears Women Reservation Bill clearance in Monsoon Session VIBHA SHARMA New Delhi, 15 July The BJP-led NDA is actively preparing to reintroduce the Delimitation Bill and the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. The legislative package was defeated in the April session after the Opposition put up a united front against it. The fresh push comes amid major changes in political situation and hints that opposition parties such as Sharad Pawar's NCP (SP) are considering conditional support to the Narendra Modi government's delimitation proposal, potentially strengthening the NDA's prospects of securing the numbers to pass the constitutional amendments. The proposed legislation seeks to expand the Lok Sabha from 543 to as many as 850 seats through delimitation and implement 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. Since both measures require constitutional amendments, they must secure a two-thirds majority in both Houses of Parliament. To overcome the shortfall, the NDA has intensified outreach to regional and opposition parties, particularly the DMK and the NCP (Sharad Pawar). The government is also considering a formula under which every state would receive a uniform 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats, instead of redistribution based solely ‘Satluj’ row: Centre mulls Censor Board oversight for OTT platforms People attend a screening of the movie Satluj, in Amritsar on 12 July, Sunday. AGENCIES STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE New Delhi, 15 July Amid the controversy surrounding the Diljit Dosanjhstarrer Satluj, the Central government, according to sources, is considering bringing OTT platforms under the purview of the censor. They said on Wednesday that the Union government may also amend the Information Technology (IT) Rules to introduce these changes. In a renewed effort to regulate OTT content, the Union government is considering bringing it under the censor board’s purview, the sources said. This comes a week after the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer Satluj was removed from ZEE5. On Monday, Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries Ravneet Singh Bittu said that the government’s objection to the film Satluj is not against Jaswant Singh Khalra or his legacy, but against what he described as factual inaccuracies and misleading portrayals in the film. The Union government is deliberating on making censor board certification mandatory to release films and similar content on over-the-top (OTT) platforms, sources said. The Centre may also amend the Information Technology (IT) Rules to implement these changes, the sources added. on population. The proposal, reportedly backed by allies, including Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is aimed at addressing concerns that population-based delimitation would harm the less-populous southern states. Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) on Wednesday indicated that it could support the bill if an agreeable formula is adopted. Party MP Supriya Sule said the party would study the legislation before taking a final decision but acknowledged discussions held with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju and Home Minister Amit Shah. “We will study the bill when it comes and give our verdict. The Women’s Reservation Bill was passed unanimously. Kiren Rijiju called me, Arvind Sawant and Asaduddin Owaisi. Amit Shah was also there. They told us they have also spoken to the SP, Congress and DMK. They have a proposal in mind,” Ms Sule was quoted as saying. She added that delimitation based solely on population could be unfair to southern states and said Mr Shah and Mr Rijiju had proposed a 50 per cent increase in seats for every state, thus fuelling speculations on the NCP (SP)’s stance. A meeting involving leaders from late Ajit Pawar and Sharad Pawar factions of the NCP at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ residence has further fuelled speculation of political realignments. Despite demands to delink women’s reservation from delimitation, sources said the proposed framework would continue to link implementation of the women’s quota with the delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census instead of waiting for a post2026 Census. The NDA will also gain from shifts within the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Trinamul Congress, adding around another 26 MPs to its support base. But even then, the alliance will require backing from parties such as the DMK and the NCP (SP) to cross the constitutional threshold in the Lok Sabha. In the Rajya Sabha, the government is more comfortably placed after recent by-elections and changes in party alignments. State govt plans bill to strip panchayat pradhans of their financial powers STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE Kolkata, 15 July The West Bengal government is likely to table a Bill in the Assembly session resuming from 17 July to strip elected gram panchayat pradhans of their financial powers and transfer those responsibilities to government officials through an amendment to the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973. The proposed amendment is aimed at strengthening financial oversight, enhancing transparency and improving accountability in the implementation of rural development programmes across the state. Under the present system, gram panchayat pradhans exercise financial authority over several major rural development programmes, including the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and projects funded through the Fifteenth Finance Commission grants. They are empowered to approve tenders, authorise expenditure and clear pay- ments for development works. With the proposed amendment, these financial powers will be transferred to executive assistants posted in gram panchayats. While elected representatives will continue to head the local bodies, financial approvals and bill clearances will be handled by government functionaries. “Vesting financial authority in government officials instead of elected pradhans would reduce the scope for corruption, improve monitoring of public funds and ensure smoother implementation of development projects,” the official said, adding that the transition would be completed within a week after the legislation is passed. The move comes at a time when the state government claims that a large number of gram panchayat pradhans have stopped attending their offices following the change in government in West Bengal, resulting in an administrative vacuum that has disrupted the execution of several rural development schemes.