Vol. 35 No. 44 | SUNDAY | JULY 28, 2024 | 26 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 Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in Weekend Going behind the scenes to uncover the creation of high profile wedding couture fp Briefs MUMBAI S-400 Triumf details leaked Indian security establishment has raised major concerns on BaumankaLeaks, which disclosed a comprehensive list of equipment under the S400 missile systems supply contract by Russia. The Rs 35,000 crore S-400 "Triumf" agreement was signed in 2018 by Russian President Putin on state visit to supply five squadrons of S400 to the Indian Air Force (IAF) of which three squadrons of S400 are inducted and other two squadrons are expected to be delivered by 2026. The three squadrons of S400 are deployed in the northern and eastern sectors of India. The hacked documents from the mails contain classified operating manuals of key Russian air defense systems, personal data air defense and missile defense officers in Moscow and Kremlin. Earlier in the week IAF conducted full integration of air defence missile system exercise and deployed the S-400 squadrons of the longrange air defence missile system. The markets regulator Sebi has barred fugitive businessman and exliquor baron Vijay Mallya from the securities markets for three years and also restrained him from associating with any listed firm for a similar period for routing funds to the securities market using his overseas bank accounts with the Swiss bank UBS. An investigation found that Mallya used a foreign investor, to secretly trade in the shares of his group companies. PUNE JOURNAL GOOD LIFE BHOPAL Ravikiran Deshmukh Even before the seat sharing formula is worked out among his two major partners in Mahayuti - BJP and NCP, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has jumped the gun and announced the list of the Shiv Sena party in charges and observers for as many as 113 out of the 288 Assembly constituencies. It is expected that most of these 113 persons may well ultimately turn into candidates for the assembly elections. Till then they will concentrate in tending these constituences. The move makes it amply clear that Shinde wants a bigger share- more than what he has currently with him - 40 MLAs who joined forces with The move makes it clear that Shinde wants more, even before a seat sharing formula is formally announced by the Mahayuti him to remove Uddhav Thackeray as the party boss. It also comes even as Prime Minister Narendra met BJP chief ministers in Delhi on Saturday (see story alongside) and a day after Modi had met with the party MPs from Maharashtra. Besides this, the Shinde faction took a strong exception to a statement made by former union minister and MP Na- rayan Rane who, while addressing media in Mumbai on Friday said that the BJP should contest all the 288 seats. Soon after this Thane MP Naresh Mhaske said that any decision on seat sharing would be be taken by the senior leaders in Delhi. He said this could be (Rane's) personal opinion and not of Mahayuti. Shinde's move interestingly NASHIK KONKAN E-paper Live Smart Naked resignation: Quitting without a safety net Understanding food coma, its causes, symptoms, and how to prevent it MUMBAI Sunday Read Rajat Kapoor talks about his love for theatre Modi weighs strategy with BJP’s CMs Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI comes even as he was in Delhi to attend NITI Aayog meeting, while Devendra Fadnavis participated in a party meeting in the national capital and Ajit Pawar met Home Minister Amit Shah. This was the second meeting between Pawar and Shah within five days. The announcement by Shinde camp shows that either all is not well in the Mahayuti or Shinde does not want to take chances, because he has been witness to the developments that took place in 2014 and 2019. In 2014, BJP decided to part ways with Shiv Sena to contest the state assembly elections at the last moment putting Uddhav Thackeary in a fix. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took stock of the BJP’s performance in the Lok Sabha elections and provided the roadmap for upcoming Assembly polls to party’s chief ministers and deputy CMs at its “Mukhyamantri Parishad” or Chief Ministers Council meeting at the party headquarters. Modi interacted with the CMs of 13 states. Home Minister Amit Shah, party national president JP Nadda and Deputy CMs of the party from other states ruled by its alliance partners, such as Maharashtra and Bihar, were also present The meeting assumes significance as it discusses how the party, which won a full majority in the 2014 and 2019 elections, fell to 240 seats after setting a target of 370. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation In the air: Modi trip to Ukraine, a balancing act? PTI NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi might go to Kyiv next month amid renewed global efforts to bring peace to the eastern European nation, multiple diplomatic sources said on Saturday. Modi might visit Kyiv around the Ukrainian National Day on August 24 and is expected to Car falls into gorge, 8 dead 3 year Sebi ban on Mallya INDORE Shinde throws down the poll gauntlet SRINAGAR MUMBAI MUMBAI PRE-POLL JOSTLING| Shiv Sena chief puts allies on notice as he appoints his men in 113 constituencies Full story Nation Eight members of a family, including five children, were killed when their vehicle skidded off the road and fell into a gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday, officials said. A policeman, two women and five children aged between six and 16 are among the dead, they said. The victims were travelling from Kishtwar towards Marwah via the Sinthan Top when their vehicle skidded off the road and fell off the gorge at Daksum, officials said. The family of eight died on the spot, they said. EDITIONS: travel to Poland after concluding the trip to Ukraine, the sources said.If Modi travels to Poland, it would be the first by an Indian prime minister to that country in more than four decades. The stories of Modi's contemplated visit comes on the heels of sharp criticism both from the United States and the Ukranian leader Volodymir Zelenskyy after Modi visited Mos- cow on July 8 and 9. Zelenskyy had called Modi's bear hug greeting of Russian President Putin as a devastating blow to peace while the US expressed disappointment over both the timing and symbolism of the visit and said the administration was having “tough” conversations with Delhi. Modi's visit also unfortunately coincided with a Russian missile attack on a school in Ukraine that killed many children. The prime minister held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last month on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy's Apulia. At the meeting, the Ukrainian president invited the prime minister to visit Kyiv. 4Contd on | Nation There does not seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel for children of legal immigrants, a large number of whom are Indian Americans, who arrived in the US as a child and now risk being deported back to India after they turn 21. According to figures in the Forbes Magazine, after analysing US Citizenship and Immigration services (USCIS) statistics, the National Foundation for American Policy Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday chaired the 9th Governing Council meeting of the country’s premier planning body, NITI Aayog, at the new Convention Centre in Pragati Maidan here even as chief ministers of all the states ruled by INDIA bloc of Opposition parties boycotted the meet. While CMs of eight Opposition-ruled states boycotted the meet, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was the only Opposition party leader to attend the meeting but she too stormed out of it alleging that she was discriminated against and not given ample time to speak. The Council is composed of the PM as the chairperson and has all chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories and several union ministers as its members. The theme of this year’s meet is “Viksit Bharat (Developed India) @ 2047: Role of Team India”. The meeting is also discussing the recommendations of the 3rd National Conference of Chief Secretaries held in December last year. At the meeting, Modi spoke about the need to grab opportunities for growth. “This decade is of changes, technological and geo-political, and also of opportunities. India should grab these opportunities and Manu Bhaker advances medal hopes FPJ News Service MUMBAI Joe Williams MUMBAI Museum of Solutions (MuSo), a unique children’s museum in Mumbai, has been featured by TIME magazine in its list of the World’s Greatest Places of 2024. The list, released this month, features 100 lesser-known places, which includes 50 places to stay and 50 places to visit. Located in Lower Parel, MuSo encourages children to become problem solvers and think creatively to deliver a positive impact in their communities. It offers a mix of theme-based exhibits, immersive experiences, learning & development programmes, creative tool-based labs and a library, curated with children’s books. Besides MuSo, the list also features Hyderabad’s Manam Chocolate and Himachal Pradesh’s Naar in their short list of places to visit. Manu Bhaker, displaying an exceptional level of confidence, was at the pinnacle of her performance as she advanced to the 10m women’s air pistol final on Saturday, providing a much-needed boost for Indian shooting amidst a somewhat disappointing start by her fellow team mates in the Olympic Games. The Bhaker, 22, at the shooting range in Chateauroux (France) delivered an impressive qualification score of 580, finishing third in the preliminary rounds. Hungarian shooting sensation Veronika Major led the qualification phase with a top score of 582. Setting sights Meanwhile, Bhaker's fellow Indian shooter, Rhythm Sangwan, finished 15th with a score of 573. The final event is scheduled for Sunday, where Bhaker will have another opportunity to shine. Bhaker, who was deeply affected by her performance at the Tokyo Games three years ago where she didn't qual- ify, is determined to redeem herself and add an Olympic medal to her already impressive collection of achievements. Known for her remarkable skills and international acclaim from a young age, Bhaker is focused on leaving behind the memories of her previous Games and is showcasing a formidable performance. Starting the qualification rounds with a strong showing, Bhaker earned 97 points in the first series, placing her in fourth position. She maintained this momentum with another 97 in the second series, remaining solidly in fourth place. In contrast, Sangwan struggled and fell to 26th place following a series of poor shots, including a low-scoring 8. 4Contd on | Nation Saraswati statues in U’khand schools, madrasas Biswajeet Banerjee DEHRADUN In the backdrop of the controversy over covering the mosques with sheets on the Kanwar routes, the Uttarkhand Government has come up with an order asking all educational institutions, including madarsas, to install statue of Bharat Mata and Godess Saraswati. The order was issued by the Uttarakhand Child Commission. Additionally, the Commission suggests that these institutions should celebrate the birthdays of notable national heroes. To facilitate this initiative, the Commission has sent a letter to the Director General of School Education, urging prompt action and requesting updates on progress made in its implementation. The recommendation was detailed in a letter dated July 25, issued by the Commission's Deputy Secretary, Dr. S.K. Singh. The letter mentioned that the Commission received a memorandum from the Ut- Uncertain future for Indian kids raised in the US Lalit K Jha Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI MuSo on Time’s list of greatest places offgrid WASHINGTON All opposition CMs shun NITI Aayog meet (NFAP) discovered that over 1.2 million Indians—including dependents — were still waiting for green cards under the EB1, EB-2, and EB-3 categories. "I was forced to start visahopping to be able to stay in this country when I was 20 years old. I am about to turn 27 this August. Soon, if my time visa-hopping was personified, they would be older than I was when I first came to the United States," Jefrina, currently a graduate student pursuing MBA at the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota told PTI. Over 250,000 ‘Documented Dreamers’ children of long-term visa holders - who are at risk of ageing out of their dependent status and are forced to self-deport if they are ineligible for another status She came to the US from India in 2005 as a seven-year-old under a dependent H-4 visa. Her family had applied for permanent residency in 2010 when she was 12 years old. Jefrina’s story is one of over 250,000 ‘Documented Dreamers’ - children of longterm visa holders - who are at risk of ageing out of their dependent status and are forced to self-deport if they are ineligible for another status. Last month, a bipartisan group of 43 lawmakers, led by Senator Alex Padilla, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, and Border Safety, and Representative Deborah Ross, called on the Biden Administration to take urgent action to protect the ‘Documented Dreamers’, which has been stuck in a legislative impasse. On Thursday, the White House blamed the Republicans for the impasse. "I talked about the bipartisan agreement from the Senate where we negotiated a process to help the socalled Documented Dreamers. And sadly, Republicans, and I've said this many times already at this podium today, which is that they voted it down twice. They voted it down twice,' White House Press Secretary Karine JeanPierre told reporters at her daily news conference. Last month, Improve The Dream, an organization representing the children of legal immigrants met with over 100 congressional offices and senior administration officials. 4Contd on | Nation tarakhand unit of the Bharat Raksha Manch on July 18. The memorandum, presented by the organization's State General Secretary, Vipul Kumar Gupta, called for the mandatory installation of statues of Bharat Mata and Goddess Saraswati in educational institutions. 4Contd on | Nation Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee storms out alleging discrimination, saying she was not given enough time to speak make our policies conducive for international investments. This is the stepping stone for progress to make India a developed nation”. He also called for focussing on development of states to achieve the overall goals, saying, “Viksit States will make Viksit Bharat”. He added that a making India a developed nation was the “ambition of every Indian” and that “States can play an active role to achieve this aim as they are directly connected with the people”. The PM said the progress at the desired rate can only be achieved by tapping the full potential of the youth. “India is a youthful country. It is a huge attraction for the entire world because of its workforce. We should aim to make our youth a skilled and employable workforce. Emphasis on skill, research, innovation and job based knowledge is necessary for making Viksit Bharat @ 2024,” he said. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation Soldier dead, in Pak attack in Jammu Agencies NEW DELHI / SRINAGAR A soldier was killed and four others, including a captain, were injured as the Indian Army foiled an attack on Saturday by Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) in the Kamakari sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, military sources said. At the same time to improve the security parameters two battallions of the BSF was being moved into the area, sources said. They said a Pakistani intruder was also killed in the exchange of fire, while two more managed to return to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) amid the intense gunfight that lasted for hours. The BAT generally comprises special forces personnel of the Pakistan Army and terrorists. In the attack on Saturday morning in Kupwara, the intruders crossed the LoC taking advantage of the bad weather and poor visibility and fired on a forward Army post. 4Contd on | Nation War of words over Pawar's jibe at Shah FPJ News Service CHHATRAPATI SAMBHAJINAGAR NCP - SCP chief Sharad Pawar's riposte to Union Home Minister Amit Shah calling him the "ringleader of corruption in politics," has unleashed a war of words between the state BJP leaders and the senior leader. Pawar had retorted that it was strange that a person who had been externed from Gujarat by the Supreme Court was leading such an important ministry in the country. Pawar's sharp attack reminding BJP on tadipari (externment) of their leader led to a barrage of reactions from the party. When BJP's state unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said criticising Shah was like showing a lamp to the sun, Pawar shot back saying, we have seen this lamp in jail. Revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Tourism minister Girish Mahajan too joined in to defend Shah and attack Pawar. 4Contd on | Nation