Dharmendra Pradhan, former Education Minister of India, addressed the public for the first time since his resignation amid mass protests against his tenure. Pradhan stated that he "suffered" because of Gen Z, the generation that led the protests, and alleged that "some people misled Gen Z" during the unrest.

Pradhan explained that although he initially found Gen Z's stubbornness challenging, he came to realize that the new generation must be understood rather than resisted. He revealed that he had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered to resign from the Union Council of Ministers.

The protests were linked to the cancellation of the NEET exam following a question paper leak, an event reportedly associated with at least 21 student suicides.

Separately, the Indian government clarified that its real-time payment service, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), will remain free for consumers, with only merchants required to pay a nominal fee. This clarification followed the approval of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 by the Lok Sabha earlier in the week.

Pradhan's acknowledgment of the protests and his resignation came approximately 15 days after he stepped down as education minister.

Sources