BHUBANESWAR l monday l july 27, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION Rajnath issues strong warning to Pak on 27th Kargil Vijay Diwas Operation Sindoor showed the fate that awaits those who use terrorism against India, Rajnath Singh said at the Kargil War Memorial on Sunday ‘Indian response can be beyond imagination’ praises troops for 1999 kargil victory Warning Pakistan against any misadventure, the defence minister said India can respond in a manner “beyond their imagination.” He added that “there would be no talks with Pakistan, and any dialogue would focus solely on PoK,” describing the region as an integral part of India. Recalling Operation Sindoor, he said India dealt a big blow to the backers of terror ■ ■ Kargil Vijay Diwas commemorates the culmination of Operation Vijay, the name given to India’s military action to reclaim the heights of Kargil after Pakistan’s infiltration in 1999 “The victory in Kargil wasn’t just a military or diplomatic success; our soldiers exhibited indomitable courage and valour,” Rajnath said 545 Indian soldiers lost their lives fighting in the 1999 Kargil war CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Nilekani-led task force to reform exam system BJD, Cong now demand Pradhan’s exit shows the way RA J E S H K U M AR THA K U R @ New Delhi We must look to the future. To make sure our examination system is trustworthy, transparent and the technology is used optimally, we have decided to constitute a high-powered committee Narendra Modi, PM Domain experts in panel Apart from Nilekani, a multidisciplinary group of domain experts are part of the task force. They are IIT Chennai director V Kamakoti, ex-Isro chairman S Somanath, former IB director Tapan Deka, former education secretary Anita Karwal, and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena A day after Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union education minister and the protesting students called off their 36-day agitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced a high-powered task force headed by former UIDAI chairman Nandan Nilekani to carry out examination reforms. Making the announcement through a video message posted on his Instagram handle, Modi said the task force would explore technology-driven reforms aimed at creating a transparent examination system, adding that the government would act on its recommendations. Apart from Nilekani, a multidisciplinary group of domain experts will be part of the task force. The other members are IIT Chennai director V Kamakoti, former Isro chairman S Somanath, former IB director Tapan Deka, former education secretary Anita Karwal, and logistics expert Amrit Lal Meena. Explaining the objective of the task force, Modi said it would focus on examination reforms. “And based on its report, steps will be taken to ensure the credibility of upcoming examinations at the earliest.” The task force will recommend immediate steps to secure upcoming tests and suggest ways to overhaul national examination and testing systems to make them leak-proof. In his latest outreach to students through Instagram, the PM noted that the government had established fast-track courts to ensure justice for students and was taking all necessary steps to make the examination system more transparent. Modi said examination reforms would be undertaken based on the report submitted by the high-powered task force. “The government is continuously taking measures for the students. Those who tampered with students’ future are languishing in jail. We have already established fast-track courts,” he said, adding that the government was moving fast to bring stringent legal provisions to check paper-leak racketeers. Pralhad Joshi assumes charge as Union education minister Rahul writes to Amit Shah on use of pellet guns on students Shortly after taking charge of education ministry on Sunday, Union minister Pralhad Joshi held a review meeting. School education secretary TK Anil Kumar and outgoing higher education secretary Vineet Joshi briefed him. MoS Jayant Choudhary attended the meet Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has written to Home Minister Amit Shah demanding accountability for the “barbaric assault” on students and whether he approved the use of “lethal force”, including pellet guns, against the protesting youth Anti-paper leak bill set to be presented in Lok Sabha today p r e e t h a n a i r @ New Delhi AS Parliament reconvenes on Monday after a washout of the first week of the Monsoon Session, the deadlock may ease slightly, with Opposition sources saying INDIA bloc parties may be inclined to participate in the debate on the Bill seeking to strengthen the two-year-old anti-paper leak law. The government has listed the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill 2026 for the Lok Sabha on Monday A final decision on the . Opposition’s floor strategy will, however, be taken at a meeting of INDIA bloc leaders in Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s chamber in Parliament on Monday morning, sources said. Speaking to this paper, an Opposition Mirabai, Manipur’s golden girl, threepeats Nervous starts in S & C&J f i r o z m i r z a @ Chennai FOR more than a decade, Mirabai Chanu has been the country’s biggest medal hope in weightlifting. And it was no different at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games (CWG). Living up to her billing, the diminutive 31year-old lifter from Manipur completed a hattrick of CWG gold at the SEC Armadillo auditorium on Sunday, beating her opponents by miles. The gold was also the country’s first at this edition of the Games. The 2017 world champion and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics silver medallist’s superiority among her opponents can be gauged by the fact that her total lift was 22kg more than the nearest rival — Ruth Asuquo Nyong from Nigeria. En route to her top of the podium finish, she also set the CWG record four times in the 48kg weight category. While lifting 85kg in the snatch section in her third attempt, she also set a Commonwealth record. Mirabai had won a gold each in the 2018 and express read Siddaramaiah not to fight 2028 polls Mysuru: Nearly two months after stepping down as Karnataka chief minister, veteran Congress leader Siddaramaiah made his most definitive political announcement on Sunday, declaring that he will not contest the 2028 Assembly elections. The 79-year-old leader revealed his decision at a function in KR Pete taluk in Mandya district | P5 Hit-and-run victim dies after another car drags him 3 km Bhubaneswar: In a tragic incident, a 45-yearold man who was lying seriously injured in the middle of the road near Tamando here after his moped was hit by an unidentified vehicle, was killed moments later after another car dragged him for over 3 km in the wee hours of Sunday | P3 In both snatch and the clean & jerk sections, she failed to complete the first lift of 82kg and 105kg respectively but made amends in the second attempts to finish the contest Games’ record broken Mirabai Chanu wells up after her record-breaking lifts | PTI 2022 editions with the previous one coming in the 49kg division. In 2014, she won a silver medal (48kg). Earlier in the day another Manipuri , lifter, Rishikanta Singh Chanambam pocketed silver in the 60kg weight category . Every lift by her set a CWG record. Be it her 82kg and 85kg lifts in snatch or 105kg in clean and jerk. Her overall lift of 190kg as well leader said parties did not want to be seen as blocking reforms given that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has quit. A heated debate on the paper leak issue is expected if the government and the opposition break the ongoing deadlock in both Houses of Parliament. The Congress-led Opposition plans to keep up the pressure over the alleged police crackdown on protesting students, demanding action against those responsible and an apology from PM Modi. TMC’s Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sagarika Ghose submitted a notice under Rule 267 seeking an immediate discussion on “use of excessive force on student protesters” in Jantar Mantar. The Opposition is also preparing to corner the government on Ram temple donation theft and the ethanol blending controversy . Gond’s resignation over school textbook errors Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. “The issue will be raised in the upcoming monsoon session of A day after Dharmendra Prad- the Assembly and outside also. han quit as Union Education The issue is very grave as the minister over the NEET-UG pa- future of children is involved,” per leak controversy the Oppo- he said. , sition BJD and Congress on BJD spokesperson Lenin MoSunday stepped up pressure for hanty alleged that the BJP was resignation of state School and shielding Gond despite the seriMass Education minister Nity- ous errors. “If the Union Eduananda Gond, holding him re- cation minister can resign over sponsible for largea question paper leak, scale errors in school the state School and textbooks this year. Mass Education minisDrawing a parallel ter should also take rewith Pradhan’s exit, sponsibility for the the Opposition parties textbook mistakes,” he said Gond should also said. accept moral responsiDemanding that bility for the mistakes Nityananda Gond Gond should be refound in textbooks for moved without delay, Classes I and VIII. As the min- Mohanty said the BJD will inister, he should be accountable tensify its ongoing ‘Save Educafor such serious administrative tion Campaign’ across the state. lapse that has not only affected The party has also sought a CBI thousands of school students probe into the alleged irreguand hindered the progress of larities in textbook printing, the academic session but also claiming that corruption worth made Odisha a laughing stock `380 crore was involved. in the country they said. , Odisha Pradesh Congress Former minister and BJD Committee president Bhakta MLA Arun Sahu said Gond Charan Das also demanded should voluntarily step down Gond’s resignation on moral Continued on P5 or should be sacked by Chief grounds.  E x p r e ss N e w s S e r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar