FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 142 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 4, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Renuka’s village erupts in pride P.12 CM announces Rs 1cr prize for Kranti Goud Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday announced a cash prize of Rs 1 crore for Indian women cricketer Kranti Goud from Madhya Pradesh. Goud was part of the Indian team that def e a t e d South Africa in the Wo m e n ’s Cricket World Cup final on Sunday night. Hailing from Chhattarpur district, Kranti Gond overcame difficult circumstances to pursue her passion for cricket, which she has been playing since the age of eight. Besides the Chief Minister, several political leaders from the state congratulated her for her outstanding performance and contribution to India’s victory. fp Briefs NEW DELHI Order in stray case on Nov 7 The Supreme Court on Monday said it would pass order in the stray dogs case on November 7. A three-judge special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria noted that chief secretaries of most of the states and Union Territories were present before it. CHENNAI DMK moves SC against SIR Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK on Monday filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging Election Commission's plan to implement the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in the state from November 4. CM MK Stalin-led DMK has gone to the court a day ahead of the EC's proposed initiation of SIR of electoral rolls in 12 states. WASHINGTON Don: Pak, China testing nukes Pakistan and China are among the countries which are testing nuclear weapons, US President Donald Trump has said to justify his administration's plans to resume testing of the US's own nuclear assets after a gap of over three decades. Last week, Trump announced that the US will start testing nuclear weapons. ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN MONEY PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK Cinema ‘I wish he would win all the awards’ P.14 PM launches `1L-cr fund to boost private sector R&D PTI NEW DELHI In this time of the 21st century, there is a great need for experts from all over the world to come together to brainstorm on emerging science, technology and innovation, and together they should show the direction its GDP on research and development, which is below the global average. On this share, the private sector accounts for 36 per cent of the investments, as against countries such as China, South Korea and the US. In these countries, the private sector spending accounts for 75 per cent of the gross expenditure on research and development. Yadav’s letter for centralised wheat, paddy procurement kicks up dust ED attaches Rs 7.5K cr assets in case against Anil Ambani Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL A month-old letter written by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav for centralising the paddy procurement process instead of decentralising it raised a storm in the state on Monday when it came to light. In the letter, written to the Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Prahlad Joshi on September 24, to centralise the process for procurement of food grains at minimum support price (MSP), instead of decentralising it. Yadav cited the fact that the shift in the global order and the pace of change was exponential. "In this time of the 21st century, there is a great need for experts from all over the world to come together to brainstorm on emerging science, technology and innovation, and together they should show the direction," said Modi, giving the reasons for hosting the Conclave, which will be an annual feature. Farmers to incur loss: Congress T he Congress took the government to task soon after the letter came to light. Former chief minister Kamal Nath said the BJP had promised to increase the MSP on paddy, but it reneged on its commitment. Procurement from FCI will cause a heavy loss to the farmers, Nath said. According to MPCC president Jitu Patwari, when FCI procures the produce, it will reject lakhs of quintals of wheat in the name of quality. In that case, the farmers will be forced to sell their produce at cheaper rates, he said. The Congress urged the government to roll back the decision, or else the party will launch an agitation. borrowing from banks is Rs 72.177 crore in the present procurement scheme. The clearance of stock is taking time, he wrote. Because the actual cost is not being reimbursed, the government is incurring financial losses, Yadav wrote. Because there were many problems in paying the loans taken from the bank, the wheat procurement was decentralised in 1999, and the same thing was done to paddy in 2007, he wrote. 4Continued on | P8 PTI NEW DELHI Food and Civil Supplies Minister Govind Singh Rajput said the government was committed to procuring each grain from farmers. According to Rajput, if the procurement process is centralised, there will be no problems for the farmers. Assets worth more than Rs 7,500 crore linked to Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani, his group companies and linked entities have been attached as part of a money laundering investigation, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Monday. The federal probe agency issued four separate provisional orders under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on October 31 for attaching 42 properties, including the 66-year-old Ambani's family home in Pali Hill, Mumbai, apart from other residential and commercial properties of his group companies. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Govt committed to procure crops at MSP, says minister Will deal with iron hand: SC on digital arrest PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday said it needs to deal with digital arrest cases with an iron hand as it expressed shock over the scale of such cybercrime cases in the country, with over Rs 3000 crore allegedly extorted from victims, including senior citizens. Digital arrest is a growing form of cybercrime in which fraudsters pose as law enforcement or court officials or personnel from government agencies to intimidate victims through audio and video calls. They hold the victims hostage and put pressure on them to pay money. SIR to disrupt classes, exams as 12K teachers named BLOs Single-teacher, higher secondary, Sandipani schools also affected Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ lists, beginning Tuesday, is set to disrupt teaching and examinations in government schools across Madhya Pradesh. Around 12,000 government school teachers have been assigned Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties, including nearly 1,000 in Bhopal district alone. Teachers from singleteacher schools, higher secondary schools and even CM Rise (Sandipani) institutions Voter list cleanup begins today Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Election Commission's voters' list cleanup exercise, will commence in nine states and three Union territories from Tuesday. The 12 states and Union territories where the second round of SIR will be conducted are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. have been deployed despite earlier assurances from the education department that such schools would be spared. In Bhopal, teachers from CM Rise Schools in Nishatpura, Barkhedi and Karond have received BLO assignments. The SIR exercise will continue till December 4, during which BLOs will conduct door-to-door verification of voter details. Meanwhile, half- yearly examinations for Classes 9 to 12, which began on November 3, are already underway, raising concern over how schools will function with reduced staff. At a middle school in Bhopal district with about 200 students, eight of 10 teachers have been pulled out for election duty. 4Continued on | P8 offgrid Dhar’s Mukund Agiwal tops CA exam FP Desk A youth from Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district has made history by securing All India Rank (AIR) 1 in the Chartered Accountancy (CA) final examination 2025.According to information, the youth, Mukund Agiwal hails from Dhamnod town in Dhar district. With his outstanding re- NEW DELHI: India and Bahrain on Monday announced commencing negotiations for an ambitious trade deal and inching closer to sealing an investment pact as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held extensive talks with his Bahraini counterpart Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani to further broad-base overall ties. In their talks, the two ministers also agreed to develop a common understanding to commence negotiations for a double taxation avoidance agreement. This would promote trade and investment, officials said. 13 dead as dumper ploughs into 17 vehicles PTI JAIPUR A road bustling with daily commuters in Jaipur's Harmada area turned into a scene of devastation Monday afternoon when a rashly driven dumper truck ploughed into at least 17 vehicles, leaving 13 people dead and 10 injured. Bodies were strewn across the road, mangled cars lined the highway, and several motorbikes were crushed under the dumper's wheels following the horrific chain collision that occurred near Loha Mandi when the truck, whose driver was allegedly under the influence of alcohol, ploughed into these vehicles on a 300 metre stretch before crashing sult, Mukund has brought immense pride to his district and state, becoming the first person from Dhar to achieve the top position. Mukund shared that he worked hard with full dedication to fulfil his father’s dreams and reach his goal. Known for his brilliance since childhood, he had earlier secured All India Rank 24 in the CA entrance examination. Speaking about his jour- ney, Mukund said, “Talent is not only found in big cities. It also exists in small towns. The key is consistent effort and the right guidance.” He added that though the CA exam is now available in Hindi medium, having a good command of English and Mathematics is very important. “If you aim for a good job and high salary in the future, English proficiency is necessary because most workplaces use English,” he explained. Mukund said he focused on understanding every concept deeply during his preparation. Looking ahead, he plans to work for a few years before starting something new in his hometown. Mukund’s father, Pawan Agiwal, runs a stationery shop in Dhamnod, while his mother, Jyoti Agiwal is a homemaker. He completed class 10 and 12 from Dhamnod itself, passing both with first division. into a trailer. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, his deputies Diya Kumari and Premchand Bairwa and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot expressed grief over the loss of lives. "The road accident that occurred in the Lohamandi area of Harmada in Jaipur, resulting in loss of life, is extremely tragic and heart-wrenching. 4Continued on | P8 19 killed in bus-truck collision PTI HYDERABAD 4Continued on | P8 INDORE India, Bahrain trade negotiations begin Narendra Modi, Prime Minister At the Conclave, the prime minister also launched the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund to spur private sector investment in the domain. "This significant investment is aimed at benefiting the public and unlocking new avenues of opportunity. Our goal is to foster a culture of research and development within the private sector as well," he said. India spends 0.6 per cent of Congress alleges the government wants to escape the liability of procurement E-paper Edit A failed attempt at making rain P.6 ‘US-ASIA PACIFIC BTAs REDUCE TRADE UNCERTAINTIES’ BIG PUSH | Investment aimed at benefiting public and unlocking new avenues of opportunity Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a Rs 1 lakh crore fund to spur private sector investment in research and development and announced that his government was now supporting high-risk and high-impact projects, as India aims to emerge as a science and technology powerhouse. Inaugurating the first-ever Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave (ESTIC), the annual flagship event involving policy-makers, innovators and global visionaries, Modi said his government has introduced significant reforms for a modern ecosystem of innovation to flourish in the country. The prime minister said the world was witnessing a new MUMBAI Nineteen people, including 13 women and a girl child, were killed and 22 others suffered injuries when a tipper lorry carrying gravel collided headon with a public transport bus in Ranga Reddy district of Te- langana on Monday, officials said. The tipper collided with the Telangana Road Transport Corporation (RTC) vehicle near Chevella, about 50 kms from Hyderabad, on Monday morning, resulting in the gravel falling on the bus. A district official said 22 people suffered injuries in the mishap. Cyberabad Police Commissioner Avinash Mohanty said the drivers of both vehicles died in the accident. Noting that a head-on collision occurs when one of the vehicles is on the wrong side, he said the cause of the accident would be known after the inquiry. With the gravel falling on the bus, several passengers got trapped inside the vehicle and officials carried out relief measures using earthmovers. The passengers of the bus were brought out of it, a police official said. In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident. 4Continued on | P8 SIT takes medical SIGNAL PROBLEM: AI store owner into flight makes emergency custody for landing at Bhopal airport selling Coldrif She is wife of Dr Soni who prescribed toxic cough syrup FP News Service CHHINDWARA The SIT, probing the cough syrup tragedy in Chhindwara district, took the owner of the medical store, Jyoti Soni, into custody on Monday. She was charged with selling the medicine, which claimed the lives of 27 children in the district. Jyoti Soni, wife of Dr Praveen Soni, who is in jail for prescribing the cough syrup, was on the run for two days. According to sources in the police department, there are allegations of destroying evidence of selling toxic cough syrup against Jyoti. Sub-divisional officer of police of SIT K Jitendra Jat said they had taken Jyoti into custody to question her. Seven persons, including Jyoti, have so far been arrested in connection with the incident. 4Continued on | P8 OUR STAFF REPORTER BHOPAL An Air India flight (AIC 2487, A320 Neo, VT-EXO) from Delhi to Bengaluru was diverted to Bhopal airport this evening after a warning was reported in the cargo hold. Checking was still going on till the filing of the report. The flight was expected to take off after checking, according to the airport authorities. They said the flight had to make an emergency landing at Bhopal airport due to a signalling problem. Following standard safety procedures, full emergency was declared at 1933 IST. A few minutes later, the crew confirmed that the warning had cleared and all aircraft sys- tems were normal. The flight landed safely at 2000 IST with 172 passengers on board. All operations were normal. Airport director RamjiAwasthi said, “The diversion was handled promptly by the Air Traffic Control, airport fire services and airlines at Bhopal airport. Operations were not affected. Checking is still continuing. The flight had to make an emergency landing due to a signallingproblem as the plane was not getting perfect signals. After checking, it will be allowed to take off with passengers. ” AI plane faces tech issue Air India on Monday said that its flight from San Francisco to Delhi, via Kolkata, made a precautionary landing in Mongolia, after the flight crew suspected a technical issue. The airline said that the incident occurred when flight AI174, "made a precautionary landing at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after the flight crew suspected a technical issue en route".