FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 252 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 18, 2026 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Samra shines, Phillips finishes P.14 Devda to present Rs 4.70L-crore budget today Our Staff Reporter ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY Investors eye innovation boom UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Edit Sabarimala: Equality vs faith P.6 Cinema Salim Khan admitted to hospital P.12 GSDP REFLECTS GROWTH OF 11.14% Our Staff Reporter The Mohan Yadav-led government is going to present its third budget in the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday. This is going to be the seventh budget of Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda. According to sources, the budget worth Rs 4.70 lakh crore will focus on infrastructure, health, and agriculture. The farmers may expect special gifts in the budget. The government may announce the opening of food The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the state at current prices is estimated at Rs 16,69,750 crores, reflecting a growth of 11.14 per cent over Rs 15,02,428 crore in financial year (FY) 2024-25 (quick estimates). Meanwhile, the per capita income increased from Rs 38,497 in 2011-12 to Rs 1,69,050 (advance estimate) in financial year 2025-26. On constant rate, during the same period, the per capita income increased to Rs 76,971 CMSPEAK BHOPAL processing units in every district. The state may also set aside funds for Simhastha 2028 in Ujjain. Besides, the other departments associated with Simhastha may get funds in the budget. In the infrastructure sector, the Urban Development Department and PWD may get priority.Along with this, the health sector may get more funds in the budget. The government may announce treatment of cancer and heart ailments in medical colleges under the CM Care Scheme. 4Continued on | P8 End dog breeding: Former min CM Mohan Yadav said that GSDP was likely to see growth of more than 11 % and for two consecutive years, GSDP had been in double digit. Per capita income in 2023-24 was Rs 141,756 and in 2025-26, it was estimated to be Rs 1,69,050. In two years, it saw growth of 19.23 %. The state registered 6 % growth in milk production. The share of the service sector in the economy was around 37 % and last year, it saw growth of 15.8 %, he said. from Rs 38,497. This was disclosed by the Madhya Pradesh Economic Survey 2025-26 report tabled in the state assembly on Tuesday. The survey said that in financial year 2025-26 (advance Her achievement highlights lifelong edu spirit at grand convocation Tarique Rahman was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Bangladesh on Tuesday, marking the end of the 18-month rule of the interim government which took charge after the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina regime in August 2024. President Mohammed Sha- teachers through both online and offline guidance, she excelled in the course. Moghe is now translating works of noted Hindi writers into Marathi, continuing her literary en- Agencies Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that artificial intelligence stands at a civilisational inflection point and can expand human capability in unprecedented ways, but if left unguided, it could also test RIO DE JANEIRO Brazilian Prez to arrive Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday left for India to attend the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, highlighting that he would also be discuss new opportunities for cooperation between both countries during the visit. "In 2025, bilateral trade between Brazil and India reached more than US$ 15 billion," said Lula. existing social foundations. PM Modi explained the significance of the summit's motto, saying, "Today, AI 4Continued on | P8 habuddin administered the oath of office to 60-year-old Rahman at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad instead of Bangabhaban, in a departure from a long-standing tradition. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami clashed over oath-taking on 'referendum'. 4Continued on | P8 INVITATION ACCEPTED L ok Sabha Speaker Om Birla invited Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman to visit India, and the newly sworn-in leader accepted the invitation, officials said on Tuesday. Birla met Rahman shortly after the oath ceremony at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka and handed over a congratulatory letter from PM Narendra Modi. The two leaders held brief talks, expressing optimism about strengthening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in trade, connectivity, technology and people-to-people exchanges. Birla, accompanied by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, represented India at the ceremony, signalling New Delhi’s intent to deepen ties. stands at a civilisational inflection point. It can expand human capability in unprecedented ways, but it can also test existing social foundations if left unguided. That is why we have deliberately framed this Summit around Impact that ensures meaningful and equitable outcomes, not just innovation. The guiding spirit, "Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhaye", reflects India's civilisational philosophy. The end goal of technology should be 'Welfare for All, Happiness of All'. Technology exists to serve humanity, not replace it." 4Continued on | P8 Parisian hoards 104 cats in 650 sq ft flat FP News Service MUMBAI A Paris court has convicted a woman after authorities discovered her living with 104 cats inside a cramped 650square-foot apartment described as filthy, uninhabitable and reeking of an unbearable stench. According to The Independent and animal protection organisation YouCare, the animals were found crammed into the tiny space under severely unsanitary conditions. The case, which surfaced following concerns over the animals’ welfare, led to a court order on February 6 imposing a €4,530 (around �4.2 lakh) fine and banning the woman from FP News Service 4Continued on | P8 AI stands at a civilisational inflection point: Modi NEW DELHI The contribution of financial services in GVSA increased to 3.73 per cent from 3.55 per cent. This reflected the expansion of the financial sector. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Financial services ‘Relationship sans boundaries’ gagement. Her message to learners is clear—use time wisely and never stop reading or learning. Governor Mangubhai Patel congratulates 78-year-old gold medalist Sushma Moghe during convocation, praising her dedication, determination and lifelong learning spirit. Tarique sworn in Bangladesh PM Agencies The estimate indicated that the state would have Rs 618 crore revenue surplus in financial year 2025-26. The fiscal deficit during this period was estimated to be 4.66 per cent of The State Gross Domestic Produce. In financial year 2021-22, revenue receipts were 15.90 % Our Staff Reporter INDORE The batch of petitions related to the disputed Bhojshala case will be taken up for hearing by a division bench led by Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf on Wednesday at MP High Court at Jabalpur. Justice Sachdeva took note of the apex court’s order dated January 22, 2026, passed on a special leave petition in the matter of Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society, Dhar vs Hindu Front for Justice & Others. Strategic Partnership’ level as India & France ink 20 agreements Macron Economix S Balakrishnan INDORE DHAKA Public finance, banking and financial institutions of State Gross Domestic Produce. The estimate for financial year 2025-26 indicated that they could increase to 17.16 %. This growth showed strong financial position of the state. In comparison to last year, the tax revenue of the state was likely to get increased to 13.57 %, the report said. Class X English paper as WhatsApp status, Modi holds talks with Macron, says ties now at ‘Special Global teacher suspended A primary school teacher was suspended and taken for questioning by police after she allegedly uploaded a photograph of the MP Board of Secondary Education (MPBSE) class X English question paper as her WhatsApp status during the exam, on Tuesday in Burhanpur district. As per reports, the incident came to light at around 9.35 am and an immediate investigation was ordered. The accused teacher, identified as Rajkumari Soni, was assigned exam duty at Tukaithad Higher Secondary School. Our Staff Reporter At an age when most people prefer rest, 78-year-old Sushma Moghe chose academic excellence, securing first rank and a gold medal in the MA Marathi programme. Pursuing higher education after retirement, she transformed personal emptiness into intellectual achievement. Marathi, her mother tongue, remained her passion and with encouragement from (quick estimates). In FY 2025-26 (advance estimates), the sectoral composition of Gross State Value Added (GSVA) at current prices indicated that the primary sector contributed 43.09 %, secondary sector 19.79 % and tertiary sector 37.12 %. The growth of the primary sector remained medium. Bhojshala case hearing at Jabalpur Bench today BURHANPUR Our Staff Reporter Full Report on Page 5 estimates), the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the state at constant (2022-12) prices was estimated at Rs 7,81,911 crore, indicating a real growth of 8.04 percent over Rs 7,23,724 crore in FY 2024-25 Age no bar: 78-YO secures MA Marathi gold medal at DAVV BHOPAL Former minister Gopal Bhargava has said that the breeding of dogs should be ended. Bhargava made this sensational statement while participating in the debate on the menace posed by the stray dogs and rising dog bite cases in the state assembly on Tuesday. Congress MLA Atif Aqueel had moved the call attention motion over increasing dog bite cases in the state capital. E-paper ECO SURVEY | Per capita net income increases to Rs 1,69,050 at current rate BHOPAL Provisions for Simhastha & funds for health and infrastructure sectors can see an increase MUMBAI Woman has Noah’s syndrome. It took volunteers five days to capture all the animals. Half of them died when they came into contact with other cats at the rescue organization. owning pets for three years. YouCare, which was involved in the rescue, described the scene as among the worst its team had encountered. “I have taken part in many difficult rescue operations, but never on such a scale. The smell and the chaos were indescribable,” the organisation said in a statement posted in French. The rescuers said they were confronted with disturbing sights, including one cat that had died, its head trapped in the boiler mechanism, hanging beneath the machinery. The president of Vosges Animal Protection (SVPA) described the apartment as being in a “deplorable state.” 4Continued on | P8 MUMBAI Prime minister Narendra Modi (75), who had a wide range of talks at Lok Bhavan here on Tuesday with French president Emmanul Macron (48), said strategic ties between the two nations has now been taken to “adbhoot” (astonishing) levels. He did not elaborate. But sources said tremendous depth has been added to the strategic partnership aimed at countering global hegemony. Even though they did not name USA, the reference was obviously to President Donald Trump's outlandish actions like the kidnapping of the n Partnership elevated globally n Tax pact boosts investment n Fighter jet cooperation expands Venezuelan president and repeated threat to annex Greenland. Both the leaders emphasised that the rule of law should prevail at the global level. Twenty agreements were signed by the two leaders covering a wide range of topics. Macron's speech was also almost on the same lines as Modi. 4Continued on | P8 n Submarine ties deepen security n Technology transfer strengthened n Innovation cooperation launched n Helicopter line inaugurated n Trade and investment boosted n Macron invites Modi to G7 n Officers’ deployment agreed on n Critical minerals cooperation declared