4 min readNew DelhiJul 2, 2026 02:26 AM IST Terming it “the biggest U-Turn” in the history of democratic governance, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday took on the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab following its decision to finally go ahead with the implementation of the Centre’s VB-G RAM G employment guarantee scheme.
4 min readAug 14, 2026 12:21 PM IST
The 19-year-old aspirant alleged that her NEET-UG 2026 marks were initially calculated as 520 but later showed 85. (File Photo)
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the National Testing Agency (NTA) to produce in a sealed cover the original OMR sheet and two score cards of a NEET-UG 2026 aspirant who alleged that her marks were changed from 520 to 85, after she received different OMR sheets from the testing agency. The direction was issued by a Division Bench of Justices Suvir Sehgal and Deepinder Singh Nalwa on a petition filed by 19-year-old Diksha Devi, a resident of Gurdaspur district, through advocate Bikramjit Singh Bajwa.The HC has asked the respondents – Union of India and NTA — to produce before it the original OMR sheet of the petitioner, along with score cards, in a sealed cover. The matter has been listed for August 14. According to the petition, Devi had appeared for NEET-UG 2026, initially conducted on May 3, which was followed by a re-NEET examination on June 21. Her OMR sheet was uploaded on the NTA website on July 13, following which she downloaded it to verify her marks. The petition states that when the NEET result was declared on July 16, her result showed 85 marks out of 720. However, after matching the answers with the OMR sheet downloaded from the NTA website, the petitioner calculated that she had obtained 520 marks, raising “serious discrepancies” regarding her result. The petitioner’s counsel argued that on July 17 she received a different OMR sheet from the NTA.
According to the petition, the answers marked in the second sheet were “completely different” from the previously downloaded OMR sheet, while “everything was exactly the same as the first OMR sheet and only the answers marked were replaced surprisingly.”Story continues below this ad The petition states that after she raised a grievance, an email dated July 19 from the NTA mentioned her result as 520 marks out of 720, with the marksheet bearing the same credentials. The petitioner subsequently visited the NTA office on July 20 and submitted a written complaint. The petition says her result was changed to 520 marks, but on July 27 it was changed back to 85 marks. When she again visited the NTA office, she was allegedly shown another OMR sheet in which her marks were calculated as 85 out of 720, resulting in her being dropped from the merit list. The petition alleged that the NTA, “illegally and arbitrary and on the basis of false OMR Sheet”, had declared her ineligible despite the earlier result and sought directions to consider her candidature on the basis of 520 marks and allow her to participate in counselling provisionally. The petition also sought action against those responsible and a criminal investigation into “how two OMR Sheets of the same candidate with different answers marked can be available”, alleging that there existed a “back door channel” which could have serious repercussions for students.Story continues below this ad During the hearing, Advocate Arun Gosain, for NTA, submitted that the representation made by the petitioner had been decided and placed on record a copy of an email dated July 27, 2026, and a copy of the email had been supplied to the petitioner’s counsel. The Bench after hearing the matter directed that let the original OMR sheet of petitioner as well as the score cards, be produced before this Court in a sealed cover. The matter will now come up on August 14.
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Jagpreet Singh Sandhu is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Chandigarh. He is a veteran reporter with over a decade of experience, specializing in legal, crime, and environmental reporting across the tri-city area (Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula).
Professional Background
Core Beat: He primarily covers the Punjab and Haryana High Court, District Courts, CBI Courts, and Consumer Commissions. His legal reporting is known for breaking down complex judgment
3 min readChandigarhAug 12, 2026 02:30 PM IST
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann assured Governor Gulab Chand Kataria that the government would take full responsibility for maintaining law and order if Jagtar Singh Hawara was allowed to visit his home. (File Photos)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday to press for 10‑day parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted in the assassination of former CM Beant Singh. Mann, who had written to the governor with a similar request earlier, sought parole on humanitarian grounds, citing the deteriorating health of Hawara’s mother.Mann strongly put forth the state government’s recommendation and assured Kataria that the Punjab government would take full responsibility for maintaining law and order if Hawara is allowed to visit his home. Pointing out that Hawara has been in jail for 31 years, Mann said, “His mother is old and suffering from age-related health issues and is currently semi-conscious. In view of her deteriorating health condition, I have requested the governor to kindly consider granting 10 days’ parole to Jagtar Singh Hawara at the earliest so that he can meet his mother. Sources said Mann met the governor to convey he was serious about pursuing the issue.
Last month, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed authorities at Delhi’s Mandoli prison, where Hawara is lodged, to decide his parole application in a time-bound manner after seeking recommendations from the Chandigarh administration. “Being the administrator of Chandigarh, the recommendation of the governor is necessary for a decision in this regard. Therefore, considering the humanitarian aspect of the matter and the deteriorating health condition of Jagtar Singh Hawara’s mother, I have urged the Governor to take a decision at the earliest,” Mann said. Will maintain law and order: Mann Allaying any concerns over the law and order situation if Hawara is granted parole, Mann said, “His supporters and family members have also assured their full support to the state government in this regard.”Story continues below this ad Saying that the state government is “fully committed to maintaining law and order and protecting the hard-earned peace of Punjab”, Mann added, “No stone will be left unturned for this noble cause. I have also assured the governor of fulsome support and cooperation from the state government in pursuing this matter with the Centre.” Hawara was convicted in the assassination of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, who was killed in a suicide bombing outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh in 1995. He has been serving a life sentence in the case.
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Kanchan Vasdev is a Senior Assistant Editor in The Indian Express’ Punjab bureau. She is a highly experienced journalist with 22 years of expertise covering high-stakes politics, governance, and social issues in Northern India.
Professional Background
Role: Primary reporter covering the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), government policies, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership in the state.
Experience: She previously worked with The Tribune and has played a key role in launching various city editions.
Special Projects:
Abandoned Brides: Authored a monograph on brides abandoned by NRIs as part of the Prabha Dutt Memorial Fellowship.
Environment: Worked as a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) fellow, focusing on the pollution levels in the Satluj river.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting focuses on the legislative strategies and political maneuvers of the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government:
"Punjab govt advances special Assembly session to pass resolution against VB-G RAM G Bill" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the state's move to block the Centre's "Viksit Bharat" mission, which the state claims will undermine MGNREGA.
"Punjab govt doubles down on special sessions, sixth in January" (Dec 19, 2025): D
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s request to Governor Gulab Chand Kataria for 10-day parole for Jagtar Singh Hawara to meet his ailing mother has reignited the debate over the release of “Bandi Singhs” — Sikh prisoners whose cases have long been a political and religious flashpoint in the state. Hawara was convicted for the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh.Mann’s move is the first instance of a sitting CM seeking parole for a convict serving a life sentence in the assassination of a former CM.What the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has described as a purely humanitarian request has acquired political, religious and electoral overtones. In a letter to Kataria on Saturday, Mann said Hawara’s mother, owing to her old age, was facing “age-related health issues.”. “Therefore, on humanitarian grounds, I wish to request you that, keeping in view the deteriorating health of Hawara’s mother, he may kindly be granted parole for 10 days at the earliest,” the CM wrote to Kataria, who is also the Chandigarh Administrator. The High Court had last month directed authorities at Delhi’s Mandoli prison, where Hawara is lodged, to decide his parole application in a time-bound manner after seeking recommendations from the Chandigarh administration. Earlier this month, a delegation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar Surjit) had also met the Governor, seeking his intervention to enable Hawara to meet his ailing mother. AAP defends Defending Mann’s move, AAP MP Malvinder Singh Kang said the request was purely humanitarian. “What has the CM said? He has only said it on humanitarian grounds. I visited his mother two months ago. This is humanity. He has already served his sentence,” Kang said. Kang also pointed to support for the demand at the grassroots level. “Two hundred panchayats have passed resolutions (supporting the demand). There is nothing political, it is only humanitarian,” he said. The demand for the release of “Bandi Singhs” has for years been a major issue among Sikh organisations and Panthic political parties. It has gained renewed political salience with the emergence of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), led by jailed Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh. Akalis react The AAP government’s move, which takes the party into terrain traditionally occupied by the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and signals its bid to reach out to Sikh voters, has evoked reactions from the SAD. Senior party leader Bikram Singh Majithia attacked Mann and AAP over the issue, alleging “double standards”. In a post on X, Majithia said, “Always opposed, now playing politics. Actions speak louder than words.” He referred to the case of Prof Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, a convict in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast case, alleging that when Arvind Kejriwal was Delhi Chief Minister, his government had deferred Bhullar’s release. Majithia asked why the AAP government was now seeking to project itself as sympathetic towards Bandi Singhs. Majithia also alleged that the Punjab Jail Department file dated February 19, 2026, had carried a “Non Recommendation” for Hawara’s parole and questioned the Mann government’s stance on Balwant Singh Rajoana, another convict in the Beant Singh assassination case. Even as the AAP cited “humanitarian grounds”, political observers point to the religious and political significance attached to Hawara’s name. “Hawara is considered a parallel Akal Takht Jathedar of the Akal Takht – the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs. There are multiple dimensions to this development. Bandi Singhs is the main agenda of Akali Dal-WPD and several other Panthic outfits, including the SAD. The AAP is in a running battle against the SAD over control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC),” a political observer said. Hawara’s significance Hawara is serving a life sentence in the case relating to the August 31, 1995 assassination of Beant Singh, who was killed along with 16 others in a bomb blast outside the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. Hawara
2 min readMumbaiJul 22, 2026 05:55 AM IST
Determined to avoid a repeat of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana controversy, the Maharashtra government will release the first list of beneficiaries under its flagship Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farm Loan Waiver Scheme on Wednesday which includes an additional round of eligibility checks, including verification with Income Tax records. Officials said the names of around 25 lakh probable beneficiaries have been shared with the I-T Department to identify and exclude farmers who are income tax payers, one of the categories ineligible for the scheme. “The list of probable beneficiaries was shared with the Income Tax department. Farmers who are income tax payers will be excluded before the final list is published,” a senior Cooperation Department official said.On Tuesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Cooperation Department was finalising the first list, which will be released on Wednesday. Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said the government was working to ensure that eligible farmers begin receiving the benefit by the end of July. Under the scheme, the state will waive crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh. The government has estimated that around 56 lakh farmers will benefit at a cost of Rs 36,585 crore, and has provided Rs 20,000 crore through supplementary demands. Officials said the verification process has been made significantly more rigorous than under the Ladki Bahin scheme. Besides Income Tax scrutiny, shortlisted farmers will have to verify details uploaded by banks before the final beneficiary list is notified. The additional checks follow the controversy over the implementation of the Ladki Bahin scheme, under which benefits were disbursed before large-scale eligibility verification. A statewide scrutiny led to the removal of lakhs of beneficiaries found to be ineligible or who had failed to complete mandatory verification. The farm loan waiver has missed its earlier implementation timelines. The government had initially targeted June 30 for rollout and later revised the deadline to July 5 during the Monsoon Session. Officials now expect the waiver process to gather pace after the first beneficiary list is published on Wednesday. The scheme was approved by the state Cabinet on June 2 and later expanded during the Monsoon Session.
Alok Deshpande is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized for his focused and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra's hinterlands. His unique academic background in Geology and early work in the water sector provides a specialized layer of Expertise to his reporting on resource and environmental issues.
Expertise
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express, Mumbai.
Core Authority: Alok provides detailed coverage of Maharashtra politics and governance, with a particular emphasis on how policies and power struggles affect the rural and semi-urban areas (the 'hinterlands').
Key Coverage Areas: His reports frequently focus on high-stakes administrative and political topics, including:
State Assembly Proceedings: In-depth reporting on the Legislative Assembly, covering ministerial statements, legislative debates, and inter-party conflict within the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
Policy & Finance: Coverage of state finances, including supplementary budget demands, fiscal deficits, and major government schemes (e.g., Jal Jeevan Mission, Ladki Bahin Yojana).
Rural and Social Issues: Reports on critical health issues (e.g., child deaths in districts), human-animal conflict (leopard attacks, stray dogs), and agrarian concerns (e.g., farmer suicides).
Local and Urban Governance: Covers major announcements regarding urban development (e.g., BMC's OC amnesty scheme, pagdi system push) and local body elections, including political defections and alliance splits.
Unique Credentials & Trustworthiness
Academic Specialization: Holds a Pos
4 min readChandigarhUpdated: Jul 3, 2026 12:27 AM IST
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. (File Photo)The Punjab Cabinet has decided to regularise illegal colonies where 25 per cent construction has taken place. It also gave approval to amend the land pooling policy to offer more benefits to landowners, Finance Minister Harpal Cheema on Thursday said. The Cabinet, which met under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Wednesday, approved an amendment to Rule 31 of the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Rules to simplify the regularisation process for eligible unauthorised colonies across the state. This will enable regularisation of unauthorised colonies where 25 per cent of plots have been built upon, Cheema said.For the regularisation of residential and industrial colonies, a compounding fee equivalent to 5 per cent of the prevailing collector rate on the gross area of the colony will be payable. For commercial colonies, this is 10 per cent, he said. Where applications are submitted by Resident Welfare Associations (RWA), the provisions of RERA will not apply. However, the promoter or the RWA will be responsible for obtaining all necessary approvals and No Objection Certificates from the competent authorities and completing the pending development works within the stipulated period, it said. Cheema said the amended provisions will also apply to eligible colonies situated within notified Local Planning Areas and on agricultural land earmarked under Master Plans, except those falling under the Regional Plan of GMADA. The last date for submission of applications under the amended Rule has been fixed as September 30, 2026. Unauthorised colonies whose applications were rejected under previous regularisation policies will also be eligible to apply under the amended Rule. Provisional regularisation certificates will be issued within 30 days, while all applications received under the amended Rule will be disposed of within six months. Land pooling The Cabinet also approved several changes to land pooling policy to address the concerns and practical difficulties being faced by stakeholders.Story continues below this ad Cheema said it has been decided that landowners will now get a commercial plot of 210 square yards as against 200 square yards for every one acre of land given under the land pooling policy. Under the existing policy, a land owner is entitled to 1,000 square yards of a residential plot for an acre of agricultural land. As per the amendment, if a land owner does not want to take the 200 square yard commercial plot, they will be entitled to a 1,630 square yard residential plot, as against the earlier provision of a 1,600 square yard plot. The entitlement for commercial-category projects has been enhanced from 800 square yards to 840 square yards per acre, Cheema said. The Cabinet has approved amendments to the Oustee Policy under which landowners whose one acre of land is acquired will be entitled to a 200-square-yard plot, those whose acquired land is above one acre and up to 2.5 acres will receive a 300-square-yard plot, while those whose acquired land exceeds 2.5 acres will be entitled to a 500-square-yard plot. The Cabinet has also approved a special Letter of Intent provision for small farmers and extended the validity of the ‘Sahuliyat Certificate’ from two years to four years. Besides this, original landowners allotted developed plots under the policy will not have to pay stamp duty or other charges at the time of registration or execution of the conveyance deed. Alternatively, they may avail the benefit of stamp duty exemption while purchasing land anywhere in Punjab up to the value calculated on the collector rate of the acquired land.Story continues below this ad Eligible landowners will also receive one priority tubewell connection, while farmers participating in the policy will be eligible for allotment of plots at preferential locations.
4 min readNew DelhiJul 2, 2026 02:26 AM IST
Terming it “the biggest U-Turn” in the history of democratic governance, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday took on the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab following its decision to finally go ahead with the implementation of the Centre’s VB-G RAM G employment guarantee scheme. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, referring to the Bhagwant Mann government’s decision to convene a special session of the Vidhan Sabha to pass a resolution against the implementation of the scheme in Punjab in December last year, alleged that change in stance has come amid the state’s “deteriorating” financial condition and “mounting” debt.“It is the biggest U-turn in democratic governance. On December 30, 2025, Bhagwant Mann ji’s government convened a special session of the state Assembly. During that session, they said that the central scheme VB-G RAM G, which offered 125 days of employment, was anti-Dalit, anti-labourer, anti-farmer, and anti-woman, and demanded that this ‘black law’ should be rolled back,” he said. “Just six months later, they executed a massive U-turn, so drastic that they actually implemented the scheme, announcing its rollout starting July 1. Why did they do this? Because Punjab’s economy is sinking…In the 2026-27 budget, Punjab’s total debt has skyrocketed to Rs 4.07 lakh crore…this is projected to increase to Rs 4.47 lakh crore,” he added. Punjab’s debt-to-GSDP ratio, too, he said, was around 46% compared to the national average of 29%, and likely the second-highest in the country. “Why did they make this U-turn?…when there is a beneficial scheme that can help the people of your own state, why not adopt it?…This is an indication of Punjab’s governance style,” he said. “Why did you not understand (that this scheme is good) six months ago?…It appears to me that this is political opportunism,” he added.Story continues below this ad The Viksit Bharat — Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, came into force across the country on Wednesday, with the Centre saying the law will provide eligible rural households a statutory entitlement to 125 days of guaranteed wage employment. The Centre also notified revised wage rates under the Act, with no notified daily wage being below Rs 300. According to the ministry, the national average notified wage has increased from Rs 298.8 per day to Rs 327.4 per day, an average rise of over 10 per cent. BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla said that the NDA-led Centre was contributing Rs 750–800 crore towards the scheme and that the government of “guru dokhi Bhagwant Mann” had been “compelled to adopt it due to the state’s deteriorating financial condition and mounting debt.” “With effect from July 1, 2026, the Bhagwant Mann government has decided to implement the central government’s Yojana. As of today, the Yojana has come into force in Punjab,” Shukla said, claimed that the Mann government had initially opposed the scheme on the instructions from AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal. “What exactly changed in these six months that a scheme once branded as anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-Dalit is now being embraced by the Punjab government? It appears that the Mann government has become convinced of its impending defeat in the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. That is why they have now started praising the central government’s scheme,” he added.Story continues below this ad Shukla alleged that Mann may intend to misuse the funds of the VB-G RAM G scheme by diverting them to some other scheme. “But we will keep an eye on it and ensure that Kejriwal and his ‘guru dokhi’ Mann government cannot misuse this scheme,” he added.
‘What changed in the last six months’, BJP asks Mann as Punjab implements rural job scheme The Indian Express
Punjab reverses stand, to roll out VB-G RAM G scheme from July The Indian Express
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