How rich is Dharmendra Pradhan? A detailed breakdown of the Union Education Minister’s assets, properties and wealth

Dharmendra Pradhan is under fire. Nationwide protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are demanding the Union Education Minister's resignation over the NEET paper leak and exam irregularities. As the agitation grows — fuelled by student anger and Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike — many are now asking: just how wealthy is Pradhan? Here's a simple, detailed look at his net worth, assets, and properties, based on his official election affidavits, as the controversy puts him at the centre of India's biggest education row in years.

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Dharmendra Pradhan's income

Pradhan's annual income for FY2022-23 stands at ₹12.75 lakh. His spouse, on the other hand, had an annual income of ₹49.92 lakh in the same financial year, according to his 2024 Lok Sabha election affidavit.

Dharmendra Pradhan's overall net worth

Pradhan, currently facing the heat over NEET paper leak and other alleged irregularities, owns total declared assets worth ₹6.92 crore. The Union Education Minister owns total liabilities worth ₹2.30 crore. 

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Dharmendra Pradhan's assets

Dharmendra Pradhan holds around ₹35,000 as cash in hand, whereas his spouse has ₹40,000 as cash in hand, as per this affidavit. His two children have ₹10,000 and ₹7,000 cash in hand, respectively, taking the total amount to ₹92,000.

Dharmendra Pradhan's bank deposits, PPF, loans, other investments

His and his family's bank deposits, PPF, fixed deposits, and other financial deposits amount to around ₹2.47 crore. He has mutual funds worth ₹80.40 lakh and has parked ₹67.72 lakh in insurance policies as of 2024.

Besides this, he also has loans worth ₹31.38 lakh from Punjab National Bank and IDBI Bank. Pradhan has also given personal advances worth ₹10 lakh to his wife, Mridula Thakur.

He has given a personal loan worth ₹5 lakh to his father Dr Debendra Pradhan. He also has lent a personal loan worth ₹5 lakh to Madhuri Thakur and a loan worth ₹2 lakh to Dr Manjuri Thakur. With this, his loans to individuals stand at a total of ₹22 lakh, taking his total liabilities to ₹53.38 lakh. 

Land owned by Dharmendra Pradhan

In his affidavit, Pradhan declared agricultural land worth ₹12 lakh and non-agricultural land worth ₹20.50 lakh in Odisha. Pradhan and his wife also own residential properties worth around ₹1.98 crore, including an apartment in Indirapuram, Ghaziabad and another residential property in Bhubaneswar. 

Other possessions owned by Dharmendra Pradhan

Besides this, Pradhan owns a 2011 Honda City, and his spouse owns multiple commercial vehicles. He has declared 200 grams of gold and 2.5 kg of silver valued at ₹13.5 lakh as of 2024.

His wife, on the other hand, declared 500 grams of gold and 10 kg of silver valued at ₹35 lakh. He also owns other assets worth around ₹6 lakh, including a computer worth ₹2 lakh and household appliances worth ₹4 lakh.