Vol. 35 No. 42 | SUNDAY | JULY 14, 2024 | 25 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 THE SUNDAY FREE PRESS www.freepressjournal.in Weekend Exploring the significance of varied Hindu yatras EDITIONS: MUMBAI INDORE PUNE BHOPAL JOURNAL GOOD LIFE NASHIK KONKAN E-paper Live Smart Workplace red flags Understanding different types of vitamin B and their impact on health Sunday Read Classical singer Kaushiki Chakraborty talks about her concert of Marathi abhangs MAXIMUM PROMISE | ‘Modi guarantee’ as he inaugurates projects worth `29,000 crore BYPOLL BOOST ‘Mumbai will be world’s INDIA bloc 10, BJP 2 Fintech capital’ FPJ News Service NEW DELHI Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI fp On his first visit to the city after assuming office for the third time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared that he plans to turn Mumbai into a global financial powerhouse and the fintech capital of the world. He was inaugurating and launching various infrastructure projects worth Rs 29,000 crore in the city on Saturday. He also said that he wants Maharashtra to play a key role in making India a developed nation within the next 25 years. The Prime Minister virtually launched and inaugurated the projects from Goregaon’s Nesco Exhibition Centre. It included the groundbreaking ceremony of India’s longest urban tunnel project from Thane to Borivali, which will be built at the cost of Rs 16,000 crores and the groundbreaking of the twin tunnel project of the Goregaon Mulund Link Briefs RATNAGIRI Red alert across Konkan The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a red alert for the coastal districts of Raigad and Ratnagiri, and Kolhapur and Satara, warning of extremely heavy rainfall on July 14. A red alert was already in place for Raigad and Ratnagiri for Saturday. Satara and Kolhapur are expected to receive extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the ghat areas and moderate rain in the plains on Sunday. GAZA Fresh Israeli attack kills 71 The Health Ministry in Gaza said an Israeli attack on the south of the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed 71 people. An Israeli official said it targeted Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas' military wing who is believed by many to be the chief architect of the Oct 7 attack. The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 289 others were injured. At Nasser Hospital, Associated Press journalists counted over 40 bodies and witnesses there described an attack that included several strikes. NAVI MUMBAI New airport by March 2025 Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Saturday said the Navi Mumbai International Airport is slated to commence operations in March 2025. Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu and Mohol visited the airport site and reviewed the progress of the ongoing work. He expressed positivity towards naming the airport after late PWP leader DB Patil. Thumbs up: PM Narendra Modi set to boost Mumbai Road, estimated to cost Rs 6,300 crore. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Mukhyamantri Yuva Karya Prashikshan Yojana to upskill IANS The Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Priyank Kanoongo, in a post on X expressed “concern” about children's rights, particularly of non-Muslim children, in madrasas. 4Related reports | mumbai PTI NEW DELHI Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Ahead of the Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Home Ministry has amended the rules of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 and given more powers to the Lieutenant Governor in the matters of internal security, use of postings and transfers, prosecution and appointment of government lawyers. The move drew criticism from the Opposition which claimed that the move would “disempower” the people of the state. The Centre on Friday issued a notification amending the “Transaction of Business Rules” under the Act.' It said, in the Transaction of Business of the Government of Union Territory of J&K Rules, 2019, “no proposal which requires previous concurrence of the Finance Department with regard to police, public order, All India Service and Anti- Opposition slams the move, saying it will reduce the Chief Minister to a rubber stamp Corruption Bureau to exercise the discretion of the Lieutenant Governor under the Act shall be concurred or rejected unless it has been placed before the L-G through the Chief Secretary.” It gave additional powers to the L-G in matters of making appointments, stating, “the Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs will submit the proposal for the appointment of an Advocate-General and other law officers to assist the AdvocateGeneral in the court proceedings, for getting approval from the Lieutenant Governor through the Chief Secretary and the Chief Minister.” 4Contd on | Nation In his post Kanoongo said, "Madrasas are centres for imparting Islamic religious education and are outside the boundaries of the Right to Education Act. In such a situation, keeping Hindu and other non-Muslim children in madrasas is not only a violation of their Fundamental, Constitutional Rights but can also become a reason for spreading religious animosity in society.” He added that the NCPCR had urged all state governments to admit Hindu children studying in Madrasas to schools so that they get the right to basic education as per the Constitution. 4Contd on | Nation The Central Information Commission has powers to constitute benches and frame regulations, the Supreme Court has said while observing that the autonomy of CIC is of paramount importance for its effective functioning. A bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma last Wednesday said the autonomy and inde- FIR against Khedkar’s mother pendence of administrative bodies are fundamental to their ability to perform their designated functions effectively. "The Chief Information Commissioner's powers to frame regulations pertaining to the constitution of benches of the commission are upheld as such powers are within the ambit of Section 12(4) of the RTI Act," the bench said. The court said institutions like the CIC are established to carry out specialised tasks that require a level of The Bombay High Court has granted parole to a man to bid farewell to his son, who is going to Australia for further studies, observing that if parole can be granted to share grief, it can also be for a “happy occasion”. The court noted that convicts are allowed conditional release for a brief time to let them be in touch with the outside world and to arrange for and said the party will dedicate the by-election and the Lok Sabha poll victories to the "martyrs" on its July 21 Martyrs' Day rally. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said "BJP must realise that without respecting re- their family affairs. The HC was hearing a petition filed by Vivek Shrivastav, who was convicted in a 2012 murder case, seeking parole to arrange the tuition fees and other expenses for his son’s education at an Australian university and to also bid farewell to him. His plea said his son has been selected for a course in Australia for which tuition fees of Rs 36 lakh have to be deposited along with travel and stay expenses. He sought release on parole for a addressing various procedural and managerial aspects necessary for fulfilling its mandate,” the bench said, while setting aside a 2010 Delhi HC verdict. The high court, by the impugned order, quashed the Central Information Commission (Management) Regulations, 2007, framed by the CIC and held that the CIC has no power to constitute benches of the commission. 4Contd on | Nation ANI An FIR has been registered against Manorama Khedkar, the mother of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar for allegedly threatening a farmer with a pistol, said the police on Saturday. “The Police have registered an FIR against Manorama Khedkar, Dilip Khedkar, parents of trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar and five others. The FIR was filed last night at Paud police station based on the complaint of a local farmer who alleged that he was threatened by Manoram Khedkar. Charges under the Arms Act have also been included", said the police. The Pune Municipal Corporation is also likely to take action against illegal encroachment on the footpath outside Khedekar's family bungalow. “Grief is an emotion, so is happiness and if parole can be granted to share grief, why not to share a happy occasion or moment?” the judges asked. month to arrange the money and help out his family. Shrivastav was sentenced to life in prison by a sessions court at Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Silvassa, in 2018. His appeal against the sentence is pending before the HC. The prosecution opposed impartiality and expertise that can only be achieved if they are free from undue interference. “While the RTI Act does not explicitly grant CIC the authority to frame regulations, the overarching powers granted under Section 12(4) of the RTI Act inherently include the ability to manage the commission's affairs effectively,” the court said. “These regulations are essential tools for ensuring efficient administration and operation of the commission, PUNE Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova, 28, claimed her first Wimbledon and second Grand Slam title with a 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Jasmine Paolini in the final on Saturday. She adds this trophy to her championship at the French Open in 2021. Krejcikova is the eighth woman to leave Wimbledon as the champion in the past eight editions of the event. 4Report | Games ‘Happy moment’ parole for murder convict FPJ News Service INDIA bloc constituents won 10 of the 13 seats across seven states where by-polls were held; the BJP bagged 2; and an Independent pocketed one seat Crown for Krejcikova offgrid MUMBAI Supporters of TMC candidate from Ranaghat South Assembly constituency Mukut Mani Adhikari celebrate – PTI gional sentiments it cannot run the government and the party." Hailing the victory in Madhya Pradesh, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said the people have reposed their faith in the BJP government's "guarantee of trust". In Uttarakhand, Congress's Qazi Mohammad Nizamuddin won the Manglaur seat for the fourth time edging out BJP's Kartar Singh Bhadana by a narrow margin of 422 votes. Nizamuddin won the seat twice on a BSP ticket and once on a Congress ticket in the past. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation Centre hands more Supreme Court upholds CIC autonomy Biden ups support for powers to J&K LG ‘Keeping non-Muslim kids in madrasas, a violation of rights’ NEW DELHI 10 lakh youth of Maharashtra every year at a cost of Rs 5,540 crores. “Maharashtra has a prestigious history, an empowered present and a dream of an enriched future. It will play a big role in making a Vikasit Bharat. Today Maharashtra has the power of industry, and agriculture as well as the finance sector, and my target is to use this power to turn Maharashtra into the world’s financial powerhouse. I also want to make Maharashtra tourism number one in the country,” said PM Modi. The PM also laid the foundation of multiple railway projects including Kalyan Yard Remodeling estimated to cost Rs 813 crore and Gati Shakti Multimodal cargo terminal at Turbhe, for which Rs. 27 crore will be spent. The construction of new platforms at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and the extension of platforms number 10 and 11 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, projects worth Rs 64 crore and Rs 52 crore respectively, were also inaugurated. In a boost to the INDIA bloc, its constituents won 10 of the 13 assembly seats where by-elections were held in seven states, while the BJP managed to bag two and an Independent pocketed one seat as votes were counted on Saturday. The Congress won four seats, two in BJP-ruled Uttarakhand and two in Himachal Pradesh. The TMC bagged all the four seats in West Bengal while the AAP won the Jalandhar West seat in Punjab and the DMK emerged victorious in the Vikravandi constituency in Tamil Nadu. The BJP won the Hamirpur seat in Himachal Pradesh while Independent candidate Shankar Singh clinched the Rupauli seat in Bihar. Voting was held in these seats on July 10. The Congress hailed the results, saying they "reflect the changing political climate in the country" and it has now become clear that the web of "fear and illusion woven by the BJP has been broken". West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee thanked the people the plea claiming that parole is normally given in emergency situations, adding that arranging money for education and bidding farewell to son are not grounds on which parole should be given. A bench of Justices Bharati Dangre and Man- jusha Deshpande said it failed to understand this reasoning of the prosecution. The judges remarked that the provisions of parole and furlough have been time and again looked towards as a “humanistic approach” towards the convicts. “Grief is an emotion, so is happiness and if parole can be granted to share grief, why not to share a happy occasion or moment,” the judges asked. 4Contd on | Nation Tibet Agencies WASHINGTON President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill which enhances US support for Tibet and “efforts to preserve their distinct linguistic, cultural, and religious heritage.” The Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act, also known as the Resolve Tibet Act, was passed by the House of Representatives last February and cleared the Senate in May. "My Administration will continue to call on the People's Republic of China to resume direct dialogue, without preconditions, with the Dalai Lama, or his representatives, to seek a settlement that resolves differences and leads to a negotiated agreement on Tibet," Biden said on Friday in a late-night statement. China expressed strong opposition on Saturday to the law and said that the US must not implement the Act. The law "grossly interferes in China's domestic affairs, undermines China's interests, and sends a severely wrong signal to the 'Tibet independence' forces," China's foreign ministry said. "If the US continues down the wrong path, China will take resolute measures to firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests," it added. 4Contd on | Nation Death toll 3: Indian among victims PTI KATHMANDU A body of a 40-year-old Indian national working in Nepal was among three corpses recovered by rescuers on Saturday from the wreckage of two buses that were swept by a mudslide into a rain-swollen river with more than 50 passengers a day earlier. The two buses carrying 54 passengers, including seven Indians, went missing in the Trishuli River in the landslides at the Simaltal area along the Narayanghat-Mugl- Forty eight people , including six Indians, are still missing after two buses were swept away in Nepal mudslide ing road in Chitwan district on Friday. Three people swam to safety later. The first body from the buses was recovered in the morning from 50 km away from the accident site. The deceased was identified as Rishi Pal Shahi from India, police said. The body was found half covered by sand in the Narayani River of Chitwan district, police said, adding that he was carrying an Indian ID. The rescuers in the afternoon recovered two more dead bodies from the Gaindakot area in East Nawalparasi district, police said, adding that both the deceased were Nepali nationals who were missing in the accident. They were passengers of the bus heading towards Kathmandu from Birgunj, they said. 4Contd on | Nation