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 | SILIGURI | BHUBANESWAR PM Modi to kick off Bengal campaign on 20 December Page 3 Zelenskyy rejects US-backed plan for Donbas withdrawal Bengal SIR ends: 58.08 lakh names set to be deleted Kolkata, 12 December The enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in West Bengal has ended with a sweeping overhaul of the electoral database, as 58,08,202 names are set to be deleted from the draft voter list. Election Commission of India (ECI) officials confirmed that this figure, which already crossed the 50-lakh mark earlier, represents the combined count of deceased, missing, relocated, bogus, and other disqualified voters identified during the weeks-long enumeration process. While minor adjustments may occur before the draft list is published, the Commission does not anticipate any significant shift from the current number. According to ECI sources, the state has recorded 24,18,699 deceased voters, whose names will be removed from the rolls. SATURDAY INTERVIEW ‘Safeguarding India’s interests vital’ Page 11 UNITED NEWS OF INDIA The list of missing voters has also expanded, touching 12,01,462, after Booth Level Officers (BLOs) made at least three visits to their registered residences but still failed to trace them. As per ECI norms, any voter who remains untraceable despite repeated field visits is categorised as “missing” and marked for deletion pending further verification. The enumeration has also identified a substantial number of voters who have either shifted residence or whose names appeared in multiple rolls. A total of 19,93,087 voters have been listed under this category, and their names are being retained only at their Saturday, 13 December 2025 SPORTS WORLD BENGAL | correct addresses, with duplicate or outdated entries earmarked for removal. The Commission has further flagged 1,37,575 voters as bogus, meaning they do not qualify to remain on the rolls, and another 57,509 voters have been placed under the “other” category, all of whom will be excluded from the draft list. Officials said the magnitude of these deletions reflects the ECI’s attempt to clean the rolls thoroughly ahead of the publication of the updated draft. The draft electoral roll for West Bengal will be released on 16 December, after which voters may raise objections, report errors, or submit missing information. The Commission will hold hearings based on these complaints and verify documents before finalising the voter list. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on 14 February 2026, following a detailed scrutiny of each category of voters. Page 9 Suryakumar admits tactical failures as India fall short in second T20I Page 16 Cabinet clears Census 2027; outlay `11,718 crore THE CABINET ALSO CLEARED PROPOSALS TO ALLOW 100 PER CENT FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT IN INSURANCE COMPANIES, AND TO OPEN UP THE CIVIL NUCLEAR ENERGY SECTOR TO PRIVATE PLAYERS NIKHIL VYAS New Delhi, 12 December T he Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday approved the proposal for conducting the Census of India 2027 at a cost of Rs 11,718.24 crore. Briefing mediapersons here about the Cabinet decision, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw (photo) said the 2027 Census will cover the entire population in the country. “The Census of India is the largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world, and Census 2027 will continue this legacy with modern digital tools to ensure accuracy and efficiency,” he said. Mr Vaishnaw said the Census of India would be conducted in two phases: Houselisting and Housing Census – April to September, 2026 and Population Enumeration (PE) ~ February 2027. For the Union Territory of Ladakh and snowbound non-synchronous areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the PE will be conducted in September 2026. About 30 lakh field functionaries will complete this gigantic exercise. These enumerators will collect data using mobile applications. This marks the first fully digital Census in India’s history. The Union Cabinet has also approved a major change in India’s insurance regulations by clearing a proposal to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment in insurance companies. The change is part of the Insurance Amendment Bill, 2025, which will be introduced in Parliament during the ongoing session. The approval lifts the existing 74 per cent cap on foreign ownership and opens the sector to complete foreign control under regulatory supervision. The Cabinet also approved the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, which seeks to open up the tightly-controlled civil nuclear power sector for private participation as India eyes 100 GW atomic energy capacity by 2047. IndiGo crisis: 4 DGCA officials fired New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has dismissed four flight operation inspectors in connection with the recent IndiGo crisis, which led to massive flight disruptions earlier this month. In an order issued on Thursday, the regulator said the officers had been released from service with immediate effect and would return to their parent organisations. Meanwhile, IndiGo announced that its board has approved the appointment of Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by aviation expert John Illson, to conduct an independent review and root cause analysis of the disruption.