FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 192 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 24, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Modi hosts Neeraj & wife Himani at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: UJJAIN BHOPAL MONEY PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK Cinema ‘Will sit back and watch a Xmas movie’ P.16 SIR | EC will send notices to 8,65,832 voters who will have to submit listed documents so that their names could get included in final voters list Over 42.7 lakh names deleted from draft voter list in state  Our Staff Reporter NAMES OF DISTRICTS AND DELETION OF NAMES UNDER DIFFERENT CATEGORIES The names of as many as 42.74 lakh voters were deleted from the draft voter list which swas published on Tuesday after completion of the Special Intensive Review (SIR) of the electoral list in Madhya Pradesh.   As per the list, the Election Commission would send notices to 8,65,832 voters who would have to submit the listed documents so that their names could get included in the final voters list. Addressing a press conference, Chief Election Officer Sanjeev Kumar Jha said that out of 5,74,06,143 voters in the state, 5,31,31, 983 had submitted  enumeration forms. During the claims and objection period—from December 12 till January 22— any voter or political party could present a claim and objection for inclusion or removal of an ineligible voter.  To check such cases, 230 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and 532 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) along with 725 AEROs, notified in additional manner for SIR on December 22, have been deployed.  No name deletion without legal information According to SIR norms, no name from the draft list published on December 23 could be deleted by an ERO or AERO fp Briefs BRASILIA/NEW DELHI Lula visit likely next month President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, could visit India early next year, top sources indicated to IANS on Tuesday. The visit, which could materialise at the end of January or early February 2026, is aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between India and Brazil.It is expected that India and Brazil will solidify ties in key areas such as trade, investment, defence cooperation, energy, agriculture, and technology during the proposed visit." BHUBANESWAR/MALKANGIRI 22 Maoists surrender Twenty-two Maoists carrying a combined bounty of Rs 2.18 crore surrendered before the police in Odisha's Malkangiri district on Tuesday, an officer said. The surrendered Maoists handed over nine firearms and 150 cartridges, 20 kg of explosives, 13 IEDs, gelatin sticks, and other articles in the presence of Odisha DGP Y B Khurania here. See Nation BHOPAL JABALPUR Category Voters Dead 33791 Absent 101503 Permanently Shifted 286661 Already enrolled or 14171 enrolled at multiple places Others 2,749 Total 4,38,876 without legal information or a Speaking Order. Any unsatisfied person could file an appeal before the District Magistrate and later before the Chief Election Officer under section 24 of Public Representative Act 1950.  This means that names of 4,38,876 voter names have been deleted INDORE Category Voters Enrolled at Multiple places 22808 Multiple categories for deleted names Permanently shifted 197898 Dead Absent 6678 Dead 51357 Shifted Total The number of voters who could not be mappedin Bhopal were 1,16,925, 1,33,696 in Indore, 69,394 in Jabalpur and 68,450 in Gwalior. The Election Commission will serve notices to them to come up with valid identified documents for inclusion of their names in the voter list.   India on Tuesday announced a reconstruction package of USD 450 million to Cyclone Ditwah-hit Sri Lanka, as External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with the island nation's top leaders and assured Delhi's steadfast commitment to Colombo's rebuilding post-cyclone. Jaishankar, who arrived here as Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Special Envoy, said that it was natural for India to step forward at a time when Sri Lanka faced a crisis. The minister called President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and conveyed PM Modi's warm wishes and message of solidarity in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah. "The Letter from Prime Minister Modi that I handed over builds on our First Re- ‘Trump class’ battleships soon WASHINGTON DC: United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday (local time) the new "Trump class" of Navy battleships into the "Golden Fleet" of the US Navy. Announcing the "largest ever battleships" in the world, Donald Trump said that the US will build a total of 20 to 25 of these ships, which will be 100 times the force as compared to the US' existing battleships. He said that the battleships weighing between 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes will be the "most lethal" warships and will carry nuclear arms along with missiles. GWALIOR Category Voters Dead 27852 Absent 61520 Shifted 115437 Multiple entry Total 4Continued on | P8 Sweeping changes to H-1B selection process WASHINGTON The Trump Administration on Tuesday announced sweeping changes to the H-1B work visa selection process, replacing the long-standing random lottery with a weighted system that prioritises higher-skilled and higher-paid foreign workers. The move, Department of Homeland Security said, is aimed at better protecting the In a controversial and arbitrary decision, a panchayat in Rajasthan’s Jalore district has imposed a ban on smartphones with cameras for women and girls across 15 villages. The ban will come into effect on January 26. The decision was taken during a meeting held on Sunday in Ghazipur village, Representative pic under the Chaudhary community’s Sundhamata Patti, chaired by Sujanaram Chaudhary, president of the Women will not be allowed to carry smartphones at public gatherings, social functions, weddings, or even while visiting neighbours’ homes 14 pattis—a local unit representing areas dominated by a particular community. The Multai to be renamed Multapi: CM Chief minister Mohan Yadav made the important announcement of renaming Multai city, the origin of the Tapti River, to ‘Multapi’, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the district residents. Multai city would be known as Multapi and the state government would soon send a proposal to the central government in this regard (MMR)." The government monitors the health of pregnant women and children up to age 16 via the UBIN Portal, tracking 2.5 crore mothers and children monthly, with alerts for delayed vaccinations, he further stated. The union minister said that in 2014, the country had 387 medical colleges and 51,000 MBBS seats, while today there were 819 medical colleges and 129,000 MBBS seats. He in- formed that PM Narendra Modi had set a target of increasing the number of seats by 75,000 before 2030. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that the Swami Vivekananda Foundation received 25 acres of land at Re 1 for Dhar College, which will develop facilities and provide services akin to government hospitals. 4Continued on | P8 wages, working conditions, and job opportunities of American workers, while strengthening the integrity of the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program. “The existing random selection process of H-1B registrations was exploited and abused by U.S. employers who were primarily seeking to import foreign workers at lower wages than they would pay 4Continued on | P8 meeting was attended by panchayat members and villagers from 15 villages. Under the new rule, women will not be allowed to carry smartphones at public gatherings, social functions, weddings, or even while visiting neighbours’ homes. They have been instructed to use basic keypad mobile phones instead. The restriction significantly limits smartphone use outside VHP, Muslim bodies stage protests Our Staff Reporter The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday protested against what was happening to Hindus in Bangladesh. The protesters said the Hindus were being murdered and tortured in that country, but the international community did not take the issue seriously. The AllIndia Muslim Tyohar Committee also staged a sit-in against the incidents in Bangladesh. They said the treatment being meted out to the Hindu brothers in Bangladesh would not be tolerated BHOPAL Members of VHP and Bajrang Dal clash with Police near Bangladesh High Commission, in New Delhi on Tuesday Missiles not far away: Pak leader threatens India A youth wing leader from Shehbaz Sharif’s party, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), on Tuesday issued a threat to India, saying that in the event of any attack on Bangladesh, Pakistan’s army and missiles would respond. The PML leader, Kamran Saeed Usmani, also called for a military alliance between Pakistan and Bangladesh. "If India attacks Bangladesh’s autonomy, if anyone dares to look at Bangladesh with ill intent, then remember that the people of Pakistan, the Pakistani armed forces, and our missiles are not far away," he said IndiGo cancels 50 flights PTI MUMBAI Domestic carrier IndiGo, which is being probed for massive operational disruption earlier this month, cancelled around 50 flights on Tuesday, according to the airline's website. The flights have been cancelled from across airports, including Mumbai, Delhi, Varanasi, Pune, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Indore, and Patna, among others. The airline, however, did not provide any reason for these cancellations. Panchayat in Raj bans smartphones for women Manish Godha Union Health Minister JP Nadda laid foundation stone and performed the Bhoomi Pujan for Medical Colleges in tribal-dominated Dhar and Betul districts on Tuesday, marking a milestone for healthcare access in underserved areas. The two medical colleges in Dhar and Betul to be operated on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Nadda addressing a function said, “Through innovative thinking and public participation, the first medical college in the country based on public-private partnership (PPP) model are being started in MP to deliver affordable, highquality healthcare to common citizens.” The Union Minister said that Madhya Pradesh had led the country in this direction. The rate of institutional deliveries in the country has increased to 89 per cent, which led to a significant reduction in the Maternal Mortality Rate BJP objects to Singh’s remark offgrid JAIPUR FP News Service DHAR/ BETUL PTI 4Continued on | P8 IANS Country’s first PPP model medical colleges NEW DELHI sponder role and commits a reconstruction package of USD 450 million to Sri Lanka," Jaishankar said while addressing the press alongside Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath. Jaishankar said he had a detailed discussion with the President on the damage caused by Cyclone Ditwah and their talks centred around EAM S Jaishankar with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath 8893 213,702 Nadda lays stone for Med Colleges in Dhar, Betul Chaos at B’desh mission as VHP, Events in B’desh Bajrang Dal clash with police reaction to cases in India, says Diggy Holding saffron flags and shouting slogans against the lynching of a Hindu man in Bangladesh, hundreds of supporters of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal broke barricades and clashed with police near the fortified Bangladesh High Commission on Tuesday. Several barricades lay in disarray as police struggled to contain the surge. The high security area witnessed a beefed-up police presence in the morning ahead of the protest announced by the Hindu right against the lynching of a Hindu man in the strife-torn neighbouring nation. The area had been secured with seven layers of barricades and a reinforced presence of police and paramilitary. PTI 13869 220,197 Over 1 lakh voters not mapped in Bhopal collected from 5.31 crore electors which form  92.55 % of total population of the state. The name of voters found enrolled at multiple places would be kept only at one place.  Page 3 COLOMBO 148293 Multiple entry 439,871 India announces $450 mn aid for cyclone-hit Lanka Voters Absent 175424 Total Category 43741 The names deleted from the draft list have been divided into different categories including dead, shifted, multiple entry or absent.  Of the 42.74 lakh names excluded from the draft voter list, 31.51 lakh were in ‘shifted or absent’ category, around 8.46 lakh in ‘deceased’ and about 2.77 lakh were enrolled at multiple places. The enumeration form has been E-paper Edit Bangladesh on the brink P.6 RBI announces `2L cr OMO, $10 bn USD/INR swap to inject liquidity BHOPAL MUMBAI the home. However, schoolgirls have been granted limited exemptions. They may use smartphones strictly for educational purposes and only within their homes. Defending the ban, Chaudhary said it was introduced to curb excessive mobile phone use by children, claiming that frequent use could harm their eyesight and overall health. Former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, known for courting controversies by issuing contentious statements, has again kicked up a row by giving a remark on the incidents of violence against Hindus and Christians in Bangladesh. What is happening in Bangladesh is the reaction to what the rightist forces are doing to the minorities in India, he said, adding that these are the same forces that do politics in the name of religion. But the violence against the Hindus and Christians in Bangladesh should be condemned, he said. Singh further said the president of Bangladesh, Mohd ED files challan in Rs 404 cr illegal dabba trading case Names Cong leader Golu Agnihotri Our Staff Reporter INDORE The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a Prosecution Complaint (PC) on Monday in the infamous Rs 404 cr dabba trading and online betting syndicate case. Young leader of Congress party Golu Agnihotri has been named as the key mastermind of the scam. The PC was filed before the Special Court (PMLA) of the city against a syndicate engaged in extensive illegal dabba trading and online betting activities operating across Indore, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai and Dubai. ED had initiated the investigation on the basis of FIR registered by the city police for offences under various Sections 319(2) and 318(4) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 corresponding to Sections 419 and 420 of the IPC, 1860. Investiga- Yunus, a well-known economist, was expected to intervene in the violence against minorities in his country. 4Continued on | P8 Court rejects UP plea to withdraw charges in Akhlaq lynching case Biswajeet Banerjee NOIDA Probe revealed manipulated ecosystem involving rigged trading platforms, unlawful betting websites and laundering mechanism tion revealed that an FIR relating to an illegal online betting racket involving persons associated and connected with earlier FIR, was registered at NM Joshi Marg Police Station of Mumbai, under IPC sections 419, 420, 465, 468, 471, the Maharashtra Gambling Prohibition Act, and Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act, and that the police authorities have filed a chargesheet in the said FIR. The ED investigation revealed the existence of a technologically manipulated ecosystem involving rigged trading platforms, unlawful betting websites and a crossborder laundering mechanism. The Uttar Pradesh government suffered a major setback on Tuesday after a court in Surajpur, Noida, rejected its plea seeking withdrawal of cases against the accused in the Bisahra Akhlaq lynching case. With the dismissal of the application, hopes of relief for the accused have come to an end and the trial will continue. The Surajpur court heard the state government’s plea and arguments from the prosecution, which supported withdrawal of the case. However, the court said it was not satisfied with the submissions and observed that the application lacked any concrete legal basis. Terming the plea as baseless, the court rejected it and made it clear that the judicial process against the accused would continue without any interruption. The court fixed January 6, 2026, as the next date of hearing and directed that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8