FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 206 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 8, 2025 | PAGES 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Celebrating the Stars of Women’s Cricket P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Governor, Restrain Thyself P.8 Real GDP growth to come at 6.2% in FY25: HSBC Cinema Who is Neha Sharma’s boyfriend Petar Sliskovic? P.16 DEADLY 7.1 QUAKE SHAKES TIBET Delhi Assembly 126 DEAD I offer my prayers for those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured n The Dalai Lama A Damaged houses are seen after an earthquake in Tonglai Village, Changsuo Township of Dingri in Xigaze, southwestern China’s Tibet Autonomous Region fp Briefs SEATTLE/NEW YORK Cop who killed Indian student fired after 2 yrs In a significant development, a Seattle police officer who killed Indian student Jaahnavi Kandula in January 2023 when the patrol vehicle he was driving struck her, has been fired from the police department, officials said. Kandula, 23, from Andhra Pradesh, was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave when she was crossing a street in Seattle on January 23, 2023. COLOMBO PM to visit Sri Lanka in 2025 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Sri Lanka within this year, the Indian High Commission announced here on Tuesday. However, the dates are yet to be decided by the two sides. WASHINGTON ‘US-Canada must merge’ US President-elect Donald Trump reignited his proposal to make Canada the "51st state of the United States" hours after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau announced his resignation. Trump said, "Many people in Canada love being the 51st State. The United States can no longer suffer the massive Trade Deficits and Subsidies that Canada needs to stay afloat. NEW DELHI SC relief to Asaram The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to jailed self-styled godman Asaram in a 2013 rape case on medical grounds till March 31. Notably, a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and Rajesh Bindal directed Asaram not to meet his followers post release. The top court said 86-year-old Asaram was suffering from various age-related health conditions besides a heart ailment. 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near one of Tibet's holiest cities on Tuesday, killing at least 126 people and injuring 188 others with tremors also shaking buildings and forcing people to run to the streets in neighbouring Nepal. According to regional dis- CABINET NOD| Setting up mission to boost youth-oriented activities in state Vivekanand Mission launch on Jan 12 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The cabinet has given in-principle its nod for setting up Swami Vivekananda Yuva Shakti Mission. It aims to boost youthoriented activities and bring them to a platform for socioeconomic development. The objective of the Mission is to create a partnership platform to coordinate youthoriented activities, fostering the state’s holistic development. The mission will be officially launched on January 12, commemorating Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary (Youth Day). The mission focuses on three main components: Dialogue, ability, and prosperity, designed Orgn opposing disposal of UC waste warns of fresh agitation CO-OP DAIRY FEDERATION, NDDB PACT APPROVED he Cabinet approved a collaboration agreement between the MP State Cooperative Dairy Federation Ltd associated milk unions, and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). Under the collaboration agreement between the MP State Co-operative Dairy Federation Limited and the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), collection centers will be established in every Gram Panchayat to ensure fair T to ensure a holistic approach to empowering the youth. pricing for milk producers. Milk unions’ processing capacity will be expanded. Approximately Rs 1,500 crore will be invested over the next five years. The number of milk committees will increase from 6,000 to 9,000. Daily milk collection will grow from 10.5 lakh kg to 20 lakh kg. Annual income for milk producers is targeted to rise from Rs 1,700 crore to Rs 3,500 crore. Efforts will be made to promote the Sanchi brand at the national level. 4Continued on | P6 aster relief headquarters, the quake jolted Dingri County in Xigaze in Tibet Autonomous Region in China at 9:05 am Tuesday (Beijing Time). At least 126 people have been confirmed dead and 188 others injured, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. (Online data till 9:00 pm) Centre allots site for Pranab Mukherjee’s memorial PTI NEW DELHI The government has decided to set up a memorial for former president Pranab Mukherjee at the 'Rashtriya Smriti' area complex. Mukherjee died on August 31, 2020. Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of the former president, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and thanked him for honouring her father. "The Competent Authority has approved the earmarking of a designated site within the 'Rashtriya Smriti' complex (a part of the Rajghat precinct) for erecting a Samadhi of Late Shri Pranab Mukherjee, former President of India," the government said in a letter to Sharmistha Mukherjee informing her of the decision. 4Continued on | P6 2 directors of Indore-based co arrested for GST evasion of `15 cr Our Staff Reporter INDORE PTI DHAR A local organisation opposing the disposal of the Union Carbide waste in Madhya Pradesh's Pithampur area on Tuesday said it would move the Supreme Court or launch a fresh agitation if the state government went ahead with its plan. Pithampur, a large industrial hub in Dhar district, witnessed violent protests last week after 337 tonnes of hazardous waste from the defunct factory in Bhopal was brought to Ramky Enviro unit for incineration. The Madhya Pradesh HC on Monday directed the state government to take steps within six weeks for the disposal of the waste by following safety protocols. The officers of the Preventive Wing of Central Goods and Service Tax (CGST) department detected GST evasion of about Rs 15 crore in the form of Input Tax Credit (ITC), after searching four premises of a bitumen company. Two directors of the company were arrested on Tuesday and sent to 10-day judicial custody till January 17. According to official information, the CGST and Central Excise Commissionerate, Indore, arrested Kartik Agrawal and Sheel Panchal, directors of citybased company M/S Pyrol Fuel Industries Private Limited, for evading goods and services tax (GST) to the tune of approximately Rs. 15 crore. Investigation found Probe found that both directors had availed fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) from bogus, non-existent firms without the actual receipt of goods that both directors had availed fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) from bogus, non-existent firms without the actual receipt of goods. The fraudulent ITC was used to discharge their outward tax liabilities in clear violation of Section 16 of the CGST Act, 2017. Despite multiple summons issued by the department under Section 70 of the CGST Act, 2017 the accused failed to comply. 4Continued on | P6 from rags to romance Love knows no bank balance? Mom of 6 ditches family, elopes with beggar Biswajeet Banerjee LUCKNOW In a plot twist that sounds straight out of a Bollywood script, a 36-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district left her husband and six children to elope with— wait for it—a beggar. Yes, you read that right. Her husband, Raju, clearly not impressed with this unconventional choice, lodged a police c o m plaint accusing the beggar of abducting his wife under Section 87 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). "I thought love was blind," Raju reportedly quipped, "but I didn’t know it was this blind." Raju, 45, a resident of the Harpalpur area, detailed his plight with the bewilderment of a man caught in a real-life soap opera. According to him, his wife, Rajeshwari, developed an unexpected bond with 45year-old Nanhe Pandit, a local beggar who frequently graced their neighborhood with his requests for alms—and, apparently, attention. “I noticed them talking a lot,” said Raju. The drama reached its peak on January 3. Around 2 PM, Rajeshwari told her daughter Khushboo that she was heading to the market to buy clothes and vegetables. But instead of returning home with groceries, she vanished— along with the money Raju had earned by selling a buffalo. 4Continued on | P6 poll schedule out Voting on Feb 5 & counting on 8 Feb Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI JAWAB TO BANTA HAI: CEC’s poetic reply on poll allegations The Election Commission of India on Tuesday announced a single phase election to the 70-member Delhi Assembly on February 5. The counting of votes will take place on February 8. The Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar announced that of the 70 seats that would be contested, 12 are reserved for Scheduled Castes. There are no Scheduled Tribe seats in Delhi. Stating that the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect immediately, the CEC said the gazette notification for the polls would be issued on January 10. The last date for filing of nominations would be January 17. n his own inimitable style, the CEC took jibes at those who doubted the integrity of the poll panel, responding to allegations of bias and also indicating that his tenure is coming to an end soon. "Sab swaal ahmiyat rakhtein hai, jawab to banta hai; aadatan kalam bandh jawab dete rahe, aaj 4Continued on | P6 n Rajiv Kumar, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) I ruh baruh bhi banta hai; kya pata kal hum hon na hon, aaj jawab toh banta hai (I am willing to respond to all your queries in person today as you never know I would be there to do so tomorrow)," said CEC Rajiv Kumar, while clarifying doubts related to alleged manipulation of EVMs. ‘NEARING 1BN VOTERS’ Our electoral rolls released yesterday, and in four more states today, show that we are crossing 99 crore registered voters. Soon, we will be a nation of one billion voters, the maximum in the world Kumar’s post-retirement plan: Detoxify, go to Himalayas "I will detoxify myself for the next four-five months, go to the deep Himalayas, be away from the glare of all of you. I need some 'ekant' (solitude) and 'swadhyay' (self-study)," Kumar, who is set to retire on February 18, said. Strife hits akharas ahead of Prayagraj Mahakumbh Nirukt Bhargava UJJAIN Fissures among akharas have come to fore ahead of ‘Prayagraj Mahakumbh’. For the first time ever since Akhara were established in 1768, a head of akhara was expelled by ‘Panch-Parmeshwars’ in an emergency meeting held in Prayagraj on December 16, 2024. Raghu Muni Das was expelled as Shri Mahan of Paschim (west) Paddat on charges of amassing huge properties in his name and buying a Fortuner car in contravention of Akhara rules. He was replaced by Ram Navmi Das. Akhara has four heads – North, South, East and West. They head Kumbh or Simhastha arrangements on rotation basis. As per Akhara rules, a mahant cannot amass property in his name and can only keep Innova Crysta. Talking to Free Press, Raghu Muni Das on Tuesday said he left Akhara on health grounds. He would not participate in Prayagraj Mahakumbh and stay put in his ashram at Trimbak in Nashi. IT RAID IN SAGAR Tax evasion, unaccounted biz transactions worth crores found Large number of tiger hides found in ex-MLA’s bungalow Our Staff Reporter Raghu Muni BHOPAL He refused to comment on his expulsion. Mahant Shyamdas of Bada Udasin Akhara, Ujjain, too has quit Akhara and shifted to Haridwar. Income Tax sleuths unearthed unaccounted business transactions worth Rs 150 crore during ongoing search at the premises of BJP ex-corporator Rajesh Kesharwani and ex-BJP MLA Harvansh Singh Rathore in Sagar said on Tuesday. The IT raid continued for the third day on Tuesday at three different locations, against the duo. During the raid at Kesharwani group, the tem came across lockers, bank accounts, property-related documents etc. The tax evasion is being assessed by the IT officers. Piles of incriminating documents have also been seized. Sources said that IT officials found properties purchased after tax evasions. Seven Luxury cars were also found. 4Continued on | P6 4Continued on | P6 Dharamdas Pilot Baba HC opens more seats for NRI students in pvt med colleges Authorities are directed to hold fresh stray/special counselling for the vacant seats Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL In a significant ruling, the Jabalpur principal bench of High Court has asked the state government to immediately conduct fresh stray/special counselling for vacant NRI quota seats in private medical colleges. The court’s order came in response to a petition challenging the allocation of NRI seats in postgraduate medical courses, highlighting discrepancies in the distribution of seats and the violation of prescribed quotas. The petitioner, who cleared the All India NEET PG 2024 examination, argued that the state government's practice of limiting NRI quota seats to just 8 out of 22 branches in private medical colleges was illegal and arbitrary. The petitioner claimed that this selective allocation reduced the number of available seats for both reserved and unreserved category students, as it restricted the 15% NRI quota to only 8 clinical branches. According to the petitioner’s counsel, the state government had reduced the number of NRI quota seats by allocating them only to 8 branches, whereas the 15% NRI quota should have been distributed among all 22 branches. This misallocation resulted in a severe shortage of seats for other deserving students. The petitioner argued that by applying the NRI quota rule to only 8 branches, the government was manipulating the seat distribution in favour of NRI students and thereby depriving other students, particularly in non-clinical branches, of their rightful opportunities. The court observed the petitioner's contention that the selective distribution of seats was causing an imbalance, particularly in non-clinical branches, and ordered that the NRI quota be properly extended across all 22 branches. 4Continued on | P6