FREE PRESS FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms - VOL. XXXVIII NO. 317 | INDORE | TUESDAY | APRIL 26, 2022 | PAGES 14 WWW.FREEPRESSJOURNAL.IN Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDIT LEARN FROM INDIRA, NOT FROM A POLL STRATEGIST THE PIONEERING NIGHTINGALE Pg-12 INDIA 3rd-LARGEST MILITARY SPENDER AFTER US, CHINA India's military spending of $76.6 billion ranked third highest in the world followed by the US and China, stated Sweden based think-tank -- Stockholm InPeace Reternational search Institute (SIPRI) -in its report published on Monday . The report stated that India's military spending was up by 0.9 per cent from 2020 and by 33 per cent from 2012. In a push to strengthen the indigenous arms industry, 64 per cent of capital outlays in the military budget of 2021 were earmarked for acquisitions of domestically produced arms. India is facing the threat of a two-front war -- from China and Pakistan. Since 2020, India has been engaged in border dispute at Line of Actual Control with China. The report also stated total global military expenditure has increased by 0.7 per cent in real terms in 2021, to reach $2,113 billion. It stated that the five largest spenders in 2021 were the US, China, India, the UK and Russia, together ac- Usha Thakur flags encroachment by ‘particular class’ LINKS IT TO situation shown in The Kashmir Files INDORE News Brief PK'S CONGRESS ENTRY IN LIMBO NEW DELHI: Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday put in limbo the imminent induction of poll strategist Prashant Kishor Pandey (45) in the party for violating the condition she had slapped on him not to work for any party once he joins the Congress. ADANI WORLD'S 5TH RICHEST NEW DELHI: Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has become the world's fifthrichest person overtaking legendary investor Warren Buffett, according to Forbes data. According to Forbes estimates, while Warren Buffett's net worth stood at $121.7 billion. Buffett is 91 years old. INDIA 'COUNTRY OF CONCERN': USCIRF WASHINGTON: A US Congress-constituted quasi-judicial body on Monday recommended to the Biden administration to designate India, China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and 11 other nations as 'country of particular concern' in the context of status of religious freedom. NO HC BREATHER FOR RANA COUPLE MUMBAI: Bombay High Court Monday dismissed a writ petition filed by lawmaker couple Navneet Rana and Ravi Rana, both arrested under various charges in connection with the Hanuman Chalisa recital controversy, seeking that one of the two FIRs registered against them under section 353 of the IPC be quashed. A Madhya Pradesh minister on Monday said people from a “particular class” were allegedly encroaching land in a town near Indore and asked others to be on alert lest a situation like the one depicted in the film The Kashmir Files is created. The film depicts atrocities committed on the Kashmiri Pandits by Pakistanbacked terrorists, leading to their migration from the region. Addressing industrialists at a function organised by Laghu Udyog Bharti here, MP Culture and Spiritualism Minister Usha Thakur said, “I had warned you a few days ago that the way random encroachment by a She asked local industrialists to alert admin about such encroachments particular class is going on at Sanwer Road (industrial area), it will become the cause of trouble.” “My sincere request to you is not to just shed tears while watching The Kashmir Files. By becoming a vigilant watchdog, you should also be worried whether such a file is being created in your streets and areas,” the minister added. She asked local industrialists to alert the administration about such encroachment and she would help in getting them removed. Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission on Monday sought reply from the commissioner, directorate of public education, and collectors of Bhopal and Indore, on opening schools in scorching heat. A parent had filed complaint anonymously with the commission in Indore asking it to take cognisance in the matter. Commission led by Justice Narendra Kumar Jain has sought a reply from the SC junks plea against mandatory vax for students NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday declined to entertain a plea challenging a Karnataka government order, which made Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for students and staff for physical attendance in educational institutions. A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Surya Kant said this is a matter where the court should not interfere. "We will not entertain this. Take your vaccine in wider national interest, there are some matters, where we should not interfere," said Justice Chandrachud. CONTD. ON P6 MOBILE TEAMS to repair defunct hand pumps OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked all the officials to remain on toes and ensure proper supply of potable water in cities as well as far flung Chouhan also areas. warned of action if complains related to water supply are not met in time. Chouhan had first called a meeting of senior officials of PHE department in the morning and apprised them of large number of complaints coming from ground. Officials the briefed the CM that there was issue with power and low voltage supply because of which overhead water tanks could not be filled. The CM asked the officials to chalk out a proper Gujarat Independent MLA Jignesh Mevani was rearrested by Assam Police on Monday for allegedly assaulting officials after a court here granted him bail in a case related to a tweet by him against Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday . Mevani, an MLA supported by the Congress, was booked under IPC Sections related to voluntarily causing hurt, assault or criminal force to deter public CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan convenes meeting at CM House at 6:30 am on water crisis in state on Monday strategy with officials of the power department and asked them to come prepared with plan at 6 in the evening. In the evening officials of power department and PHE were present and sites were discussed where problem related to low voltage was reported. Officials from the power department ensured proper pow- Govt blocks 16 YouTube channels, one FB account NEW DELHI summer in the state. The parent in his complaint had stated, “The heat waves have turned the state into an oven. Mercury is soaring, reaching up to 42-44 degrees Celsius. Kids in Bhopal, Indore and many parts of MP still have to go to school. CONTD. ON P6 Mevani rearrested hrs after getting bail KOKRAJHAR servant from discharge of his duty and others, police said. Earlier in the day, a Kokrajhar court granted him bail in connection with a case related to his tweet against Modi. The Gujarat legislator was arrested on April 19 from Palanpur town in Gujarat after an FIR was registered against him in Kokrajhar. He was brought here two days later. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has blocked 16 YouTube news channels, including six Pakistan and ten India based channels having a cumulative viewership of over 68 crore, for spreading disinformation related to the country's national security, foreign relations and public order. The ministry also blocked one Facebook account. "It was observed that these channels were used to spread fake news over social media on matters related to national security India's for, eign relations, communal harmony in the country, and public order. None of the digital news publishers had furnished information to the Ministry as required under rule 18 of the IT Rules, 2021," the I&B ministry said. Utilizing the emergency powers under the IT Rules, 2021, the inistry issued orders on April 22 for blocking of 16 YouTube based news channels and one Facebook account. The ministry noted that the content published by some of the India based YouTube channels referred to a community as terrorists, and incited hatred among the members of various religious communities. Twitter 'inching closer' to finalising $46.5-bn deal with Musk AGENCIES New Delhi Despite internal disagreements, the Twitter board is reportedly inching towards finalising the hostile takeover deal worth $46.5 billion made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and an announcement was expected as early as Monday (US time). San Francisco, April 25 (IANS) Despite internal disagreements, the Twitter board is reportedly inching towards finalising the hostile takeover deal worth $46.5 billion made by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and an announcement was expected as early as Monday (US time). The Washington Post reported, citing people close to the matter, that Twitter is in discussions to "sell itself to Elon Musk" and could "finalise a deal as soon as this week". "The two sides met Sunday to discuss Musk's proposal and were making progress, though still had issues to hash out, the peo- nominal terms, however, military spending grew by 6.1 per cent." As a result of a sharp economic recovery in 2021, the global military burden -world military expenditure as a share of world gross domestic product (GDP), fell by 0.1 percentage points, from 2.3 per cent in 2020 to 2.2 per cent in 2021. Meanwhile, the US military spending amounted to $801 billion in 2021, a drop of 1.4 per cent from 2020. CONTD. ON P6 CM REVIEWS SITUATION EARLY MORNING, ORDERS OFFICIALS TO... Commission seeks reply by May 4 A parent had anonymously filed a plaint commissioner of public education Abhay Verma, Bhopal collector Avinash Lavaniya and Indore collector Manish Singh by May 4. Earlier, school education minister Inder Singh Parmar, had suggested closing schools from April 15, given the extreme continued to grow in 2021, reaching an all-time high of $2.1 trillion. This was the seventh consecutive year that spending increased. "Even amid the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, world military spending hit record levels," said Diego Lopes da Silva, Senior Researcher with SIPRI's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. "There was a slowdown in the rate of real-terms growth due to inflation. In WATER INSTALL 5K HAND PUMPS TO IMPROVE SITUATION CRISIS counting for 62 per cent of expenditure, according to new data on global military spending. World military spending Why are schools open in blazing heat? MPHRC asks collectors OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in WEATHER 29.40c. 24.00c EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE FOR 24X7 UPDATES NEW DELHI `3 QUALITY AT VALUE RNI No. 38281/83 ple said. There is no guarantee they will reach a deal," the report said. The New York Times also reported that Twitter's board is seriously considering Musk's offer to buy the company . Musk's initial bid of about $43 billion was seen as undervaluing the company significantly . The Tesla and SpaceX CEO last month further revealed his Twitter takeover plan that will see $25.5 billion in loans and $21 billion in personal equity -- taking the final bid to $46.5 billion. In a fresh filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Musk said that the funding is provided through two debt commitment letters from Morgan Stanley Senior Funding, in which the bank commits to offering a series of loans worth $25.5 billion. CONTD. ON P6 er supply. Chouhan instructed installations of 5000 new hand pumps in problematic areas. PHE officials informed the CM that 95% of the hand pumps were working and suppling water. At present there are 5.57 lakh hand pumps in rural areas besides 16,915 piped water connections. CONTD. ON P6 Sunrise : 05.58 Sunset : 06.51 State loses 17 tigers in 107 days BHOPAL A total of 17 tigers have died in Madhya Pradesh in the last 107 days, including three due to poaching, an . official said on Monday "Between January 8 and April 24, a total of 17 tigers have died in the state. This includes three deaths due to poaching, with two of them being electrocuted. Between January and December last year, the state had lost 42 tigers, the biggest chunk of the 127 deaths nationwide reported by the National Tiger Conservation Authority," he said. Ajay Dubey, founder of Prayatna, an environmental action group, said the deaths were caused due to shrinking prey base, like deer, and said this was an alarming situation. "I also agree territorial fights are a big reason. Tigers kill as they feel a fellow big cat that has entered its territory will reduce the prey base. This fight for survival is costing MP dear. The forest department must focus on developing grasslands so that the herbivore prey base can be increased," Dubey said. Refuting these claims, a forest official said there was no shrinking of prey base and nor was there a shortage of grasslands. Only three deaths took place due to poaching, after which vigil was increased, Women walk miles for bucket of water in Ashta SEARING HEAT melting roads and drying water bodies BABU PANCHAL Ashta The searing sun of endApril was melting the asphalt roads and a group of women from different villages on cycles and on foot was in quest of water. Because of increasing heat, water shortage has deepened in the city and in the villages. The residents in the city are getting water only thrice a week. Chief municipal officer Nandkishore Parsania said that the residents in the city are getting water thrice a week from Parvati river which still has enough water All of them were either carrying pitchers or buckets. There was little shade on either side of the road in Khamkheda, Pagaria, Khachrod and Kusmania villages. They were walking under the scorching heat which has also dried many water bodies and depleted the underground water table. According to sources in the district administration, Sehore has lost nearly 40% of its green cover because of deforestation. Many women in Khamkheda village set out of their homes at the cockcrow to fetch a bucket of water from far-flung areas. Around a few water bodies, where a little water has remained, one can see hundreds of buckets and pitchers. Many villagers go to the water sources in farmlands. The condition in villages under Ashta sub-division has worsened. CONTD. ON P6 Female tiger cub found dead in Bandhavgarh OUR STAFF REPORTER BHOPAL Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) lost another female tiger cub on Sunday, a forest official said on Monday. It is suspected that the cub, which was 7 to 8 months old, was killed in an attack by a tiger, the official said. Some forest beat guards on Sunday spotted the carcass, showing severe injury marks on head, stomach, back and ears in Dhamokhar buffer zone near Barbaspur area of reserve, BTR's field director BS Annigeri said. CONTD. ON P6 while the rest were due to natural reasons, the official added. As per the All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, Madhya Pradesh is home to 526 tigers, the highest for any state of the country. MP has six tiger reserves, namely Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, Satpura, Panna and Sanjay . Bhang to become medicinal plant OUR BUREAU New Delhi Bhang, a weed used by Sadhus for concentration and by others as an intoxicant that makes one laugh, cry or repeatedly do same thing, may soon be available in the market as a medicine full of protein. The scientists of the Lucknow-based National Biotanical Research Instite (NBRI) of the Government of India has developed three varieties of Bhang with a minimum of intoxicantion and a maximum protein. They are busy establishing increased protein content in Bhang, opening up its use as a medicine if the selected samples picked up from Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur give the constant result as it will open up farming of Bhang as medicinal plant. The intoxicant THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is more than 5% in the Bhang plant. CONTD. ON P6 Banks release Rs 280 cr; Dhoni moves top court FP BUREAU / New Delhi The Supreme Court was informed on Monday that a consortium of seven banks has released Rs 280 crore to Amrapali Stalled Projects and Investment Reconstruction Establishment (ASPIRE) for completion of the incomplete projects even as cricketer MS Dhoni, who was the brand ambassador of real estate group, moved the top court seeking direction in the ongoing arbitral proceedings. A bench of Justices UU Lalit and Bela M Trivedi took note of the submis- sion of advocate Alok Kumar, appearing for the consortium of banks, that Rs 280 crore will be released to ASPIRE, from where it will be used for funding of the incomplete projects. He said that the court must ensure that funds that are be- ing put by the consortium of banks in ASPIRE are utilised for the projects for which it is meant and not used for any other purpose. Advocate Udhav Nanda, appearing for Dhoni, said that they have filed an interlocutory application seeking a direction in arbitral proceedings which are going on with the real estate group. He, however, did not clarify what kind of arbitral proceedings or what directions are needed from the court. The bench said that it will take up for hearing the former Indian cricket team captain's application on May 9.