FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 157 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | NOVEMBER 20, 2024 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports LET KOHLI COOK, AVOID THE FIRE P.15 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Nation Delhi govt pushes for artificial rain... P.6 MONEY India’s RE capacity to touch 250 GW mark by Mar 2026 Cinema Sooraj swung from Salman to Shahid P.14 Biden out of picture as world leaders meet for photo-op Tension in Mhouganj city's stunning bayside, there was a problem -- the 81-yearold Biden was a no-show. Instead of the US president, it was China's Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who joked and chatted in the front row before posing together. Frustrated American officials blamed it on "logistical issues" and said the picture was taken too soon, as Biden was still making his way to the area from talks with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. G20 SUMMIT Agencies RIO DE JANEIRO If there was any doubt that Joe Biden is no longer in the picture for many world leaders, his final G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro provided a sure sign. Biden has been making a last pitch for global support on issues from Ukraine and Gaza to climate change before Donald Trump returns to the White House. But as his counterparts gathered for an official G20 photo beside the Brazilian fp Briefs NEW DELHI Direct flights to China soon In a big step forward in India-China ties, the two countries have discussed resuming direct flights between the countries as well restarting the Kailash Mansarovar yatra. The Chinese foreign ministry has also said that the India-China relationship is at a "new starting point". The two key issues were discussed when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit on Monday. ISLAMABAD No hybrid CT: PCB to ICC PCB has rejected the hybrid model and has sought clarity from the ICC on why India doesn't want to travel to Pakistan. "If India has any concerns about sending their team to Pakistan they must talk to us and we will remove them. I don't think there is any reason for India not to come to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy," PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said. According to media reports, Naqvi also said that there is no question of following Hybrid model, something that the BCCI has advocated. 4Continued on | P6 ULTIMATUM TO CENTRE: NDA MLAs give seven-day time, say will decide future course of action in consultation with people ‘Ban Kuki militants, ops against killers’ KHARGE TO PREZ IANS IMPHAL The BJP-led ruling NDA MLAs have urged the Centre to withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) from the six police stations and to ban the Kuki militants within seven days otherwise they would decide the future course of action in consultation with the people of the state. The NDA legislators urging the Central government to resolve 8-point resolutions after an emergency meeting at secretariat of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Monday night. CM Singh chaired the marathon meeting, which assumed significance amidst the escalating violence in the state and the withdrawal of support from the BJP government in Manipur by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma-led National 4Continued on | P6 Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday sought intervention of President Droupadi Murmu to restore peace, and normalcy and make constitutional machinery functional in Manipur. Kharge claimed that both the Union and the state governments have completely failed in restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur during the last 18 months. COFFIN RALLY ‘MARTYRS’ Thousands of men and women on Tuesday took part in a 'coffin rally' in Manipur’s Churachandpur in solidarity with the 10 Kuki-Zo-Hmar tribal 'Village Volunteers', who were killed in a reported encounter with CRPF in Jiribam district on November 11. Wearing black attire symbolically carried 10 dummy coffins to pay homage to the 10 slain Village Volunteers. An MLA from Manipur's Churachandpur district has raised a huge controversy over his social media posts calling 10 "militants" who were killed in an encounter on November 11 "martyrs". Churachandpur MLA Lallian Mang Khaute, a retired IPS officer of the 1985-batch, posted videos on Facebook and X showing him paying respects to the 10 men. Prez Putin may visit India next year Signs new N-doctrine Agencies NEW DELHI Russian President Vladimir Putin may visit India next year as part of a laid down structure between the two countries for reciprocal annual visits by their leaders, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. The two sides are looking at the possibility of the visit but nothing has been finalised yet, they said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited the Russian President to visit India when the two leaders held summit talks in Moscow in July. He also visited Kazan in Russia last month to attend the BRICS summit. Earlier Tuesday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov in a video interaction with senior Indian Editors in Delhi referred to the strong bilateral relationship between India and Russia, and added Putin's visit is on the cards. 4Continued on | P6 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed a revised nuclear doctrine declaring that a conventional attack on Russia by any nation that is supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country. It follows US President Joe Biden's decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with US-supplied longer-range missiles. PC BLAMED Manipur CM N Biren Singh blamed "some vested interests" for reigniting a new cycle of violence in the state and criticised Congress leader P Chidambaram as someone who "created present crisis." Singh's attack came hours after PC suggested "Meitei, Kuki-Zo and Naga can live together in one state only if they have genuine regional autonomy", and blamed the CM for crisis. HC orders attachment of Himachal Bhawan PTI SHIMLA The Himachal Pradesh High Court has ordered the attachment of Himachal Bhawan located in Delhi for the recovery of Rs 150 crore owed by the state government to Seli Hydropower Electrical Company following an arbitration ruling in favour of the power firm. Passing the order on Monday, a single-judge bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel said the company may take appropriate steps for the auction of Himachal Bhawan. offgrid Over 100 fliers stuck for 3 days in Phuket Agencies Air India sources have said all passengers were provided accommodation and will be reimbursed NEW DELHI Over 100 New Delhi-bound passengers of an Air India flight have been stranded in Thailand's Phuket for over 80 hours now after several delays due to technical faults, according to multiple posts put out by passengers on social media. According to the passengers, the flight was scheduled to take off for Delhi on the night of November 16. But the airline's representatives informed the passengers of a six-hour delay due to a technical fault. The passengers allege that after being made to wait for hours at the airport, they were asked to board the plane, only to be deboarded an hour later. The flight was cancelled. Air India, while regretting the inconvenience to passengers, said the November 16 flight was "cancelled due to a technical issue". The airline insisted that the staff on the ground made ef- forts to minimise passengers' inconvenience, providing all on-ground assistance including hotel accommodations and meals. "Some of the guests were also accommodated on alternatively available flights. Passengers were also offered options for full refunds on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling. At Air India, the safety and security of our passengers and crew is a top priority," it added. The passengers included elderly and children. The next the plane was prepped for a flight. The passengers say they were told that it was the same plane, but the fault had been fixed. The plane took off and about two-and-a-half hours after take-off, it landed back at Phuket and the passengers were again told that there was a technical fault. Since then, the passengers have been stuck at Phuket. The plane's trajectory, as captured by tracking app FlightRadar, shows its twohour flight before it returned to Phhuket. Social media posts allege that passengers are not getting any satisfactory response from airline representatives. Earlier, the airline source said, "Several passengers have been sent back. About 40 are still in Phuket, they would be sent back this evening." as MLA tries to remove encroachment Police in action in Mhouganj Police take MLA to another place to control situation ‘The Sabarmati Report’ tax free in MP, CG houganj collector Ajay Shrivastava told Free Press that section 163 of Baharatiya Nyay Sahita, which was earlier known as section 144, has been imposed in the area. Police have arrested 10 to 12 people from both sides. Law and order situation is under the control. As far as MLA Pradeep Patel is concerned, police removed him from the scene and took him to Rewa. Our Staff Reporter Our Staff Reporter M BHOPAL BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced on Tuesday that ‘The Sabarmati Report’ film would be tax free in state. Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Dev Sai also announced that the film would be tax free. CM Yadav will watch the film at Drive in Cinema at Lake View Hotel run by tourism department on Wednesday evening. The screening will be held at 7 pm. Elected representatives will also watch the film, and the tourism department has made the arrangements. The movie is based on burning of coach S6 of Sabarmati Express train near Godhra railway station in Gujarat in 2002 that resulted in deaths of 59 passengers. See Cinema Page A major controversy erupted at Khatkari Chowki of Mhouganj when MLA Pradeep Patel joined a mob to remove the encroachment with JCB machine on Tuesday evening. When the JCB tried to demolish the structures, the people living on the land resorted to stone pelting, resulting in injuries to several persons. Sources said that Devra Mahadevan temple is situated in Khatkari Chowki. On Sunday, local Hindu leader Santosh Tiwari sat on indefinite fast, demanding removal of encroachment made on 9 acre land near a local temple. He said 90 percent of land has been encroached by members of the minority community and rest is under the control of Dalits. The matter escalated on Tuesday evening when BJP workers reached the spot along with a JCB and tried to remove the encroachment. On learning about this, MLA Pradeep Patel also rushed to the spot and joined them. He said that now he had no faith on the promise of administration and hence he himself will remove the encroachment. When minority community members learnt that encroachment is being removed, they too rushed to the spot. 4Continued on | P6 Maha, J’Khand all set for polls today PTI MUMBAI Maharashtra and Jharkhand are all set for Assembly polls on Wednesday. In Maharashtra the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is vying to retain power and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) combine hoping for a strong comeback. Polling will begin in all the 288 assembly seats at 7 am and end at 6 pm, an election official said. The votes will be counted on November 23. The election campaign saw prominent leaders like Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, campaigning. In Jharkhand, the stage is Bypolls in 15 seats in 4 states Bypolls in 15 assembly seats spread across Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Kerala and Uttarakhand will be held on Wednesday. Votes will be counted on November 23. The results of the bypolls, however, will not have any direct impact on the respective legislative assemblies PTI set for the second and final round of electoral battle between the ruling INDIA bloc and the NDA, as Jharkhand gears up for polling in 38 of the total 81 assembly seats on Wednesday. See Page 7 Cash for votes: FIR against BJP candidate Police on Tuesday registered a case against BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde and party candidate Rajan Naik in connection with the alleged distribution of cash to voters at a hotel in Palghar, an official said. Hours before the Maharashtra assembly polls, BVA leader Hitendra Thakur accused Tawde of distributing Rs 5 crore at a hotel in Virar, 60 km from Mumbai, to woo voters, a claim the BJP leader denied. 5 pvt schools told to return Rs 31.51 cr to parents Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL 4Continued on | P6 BENGALURU The country's latest communication satellite, GSAT-N2 was successfully launched by billionaire Elon Musk-founded SpaceX from Cape Canaveral in the US, ISRO's commercial arm NSIL has said. The communication satellite will enhance broadband services and in-flight connectivity across the Indian region, NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) said. 4Continued on | P6 27% OBC RESERVATION SC rejects petitions, says HC to decide Our Staff Reporter On Tuesday the Jabalpur administration has again taken action against the arbitrary attitude of private schools in the district. The District-Level Committee, established under the Madhya Pradesh Private Schools (Regulation of Fees and Related Matters) Act, 2017, has ordered five private schools to return Rs 31.51 crore of 52480 students. SpaceX launches ISRO's satellite BHOPAL Supreme Court has rejected petitions filed for relief by transferring the case from High Court regarding filling 100 per cent posts in any recruitment, stating that it is up to High Court to decided OBC reservation issue provided there is no stay. Two petitions were filed by Pragya Sharma and Mona Mishra of Sagar, Manu Sirotia of Chhatarpur, Piyush Pathak of Shajapur, Sonam Chatur- vedi of Singrauli, Swati Mishra of Dewas and others. MP Public Service Commission (MPPSC) holds 13 per cent seats in Unreserved and OBC categories each from 2019 to 2023, in all recruitment examination following notification of General Administration Department (GAD) on September 29, 2022, Advocate Rameshwar Thakur, special Government pleader for OBC reservation, said. 4Continued on | P6