New Delhi: The cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved a bill proposing stricter punishment for paper leaks, including fine up to ₹10 crore. Meanwhile, two senior Union ministers held talks with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) leaders a few kilometres away, underscoring the Centre's parallel legislative and political push to defuse the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) examination paper leak agitation that has rocked the national capital and found echoes across the country. Both sides have agreed to meet again on Saturday.Chaired by Prime Minister Modi at Parliament House, the cabinet approved amendments to the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, proposing a minimum five-year jail term for those involved in paper leaks and up to 10 years' imprisonment with a maximum fine of ₹10 crore for organised paper leak syndicates.The amendment is expected to be introduced in Parliament on Monday.The bill mooted by the Ministry of Personnel is also likely to propose that leaks and other cases that impact students and exam process be concluded within three months in the fast track courts.Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met CJP leaders Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das, who made clear the demand for education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation was non-negotiable. They said the government was positive about two of their demands — compensation for the families of those who took their own lives after the first NEET was cancelled and the withdrawal of FIRs against students during the July 20 clashes. The two sides met at the Vithal Bhai Patel House after the CJP had asked for a neutral venue for the discussions.At the cabinet meeting, Modi asked ministers whether they had Instagram accounts and suggested that they became more active on the platform to connect with the youth. Instagram emerged as the main platform for social media engagement with a vast number of reels posted by protesters racking up views.Friday’s developments came less than 24 hours after steps taken by the Modi government on Thursday night, including the announcement of fast track courts for paper leak cases and replacement of the higher education secretary. Following assurances by the government, Sonam Wanghchuk had also called off his fast on Thursday.