Vol. 66 No. 321 | THURSDAY | SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 | 21 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper MALAIKA ARORA ON CRUISING THE FP BULLETIN 75 LAKH FREE LPG CYLINDERS T he Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the budgetary allotment of Rs 1,650 crore for the distribution of 75 lakh free cooking gas connections as part of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). A targeted subsidy of Rs 200 per 14.2 kg LPG cylinder for up to 12 refills per year is being provided to PMUY consumers. With the release of the new connections, the number of PMUY beneficiaries will go up to 10.35 crore. The total financial implication will be Rs 1,650 crore. An official release said some eligible households still do not have LPG connections. There is a demand for 15 lakh PMUY connections as on 31 August, 2023, the government statement said. The Cabinet also cleared the third phase of the e-courts project with a financial allocation of Rs 7,210 crore. It aims at ushering in a regime of maximum ease of justice by moving towards digital, online and paperless courts. Citizens who do not have access to technology can access the judicial services from eSewa Kendras, thus bridging the digital divide, the government said. CHINA MAP: AS IT REALLY IS F ormer Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Naravane (retd) on Tuesday took a dig at China, sharing a map on X saying, "Finally someone has got the map of China as it really is". The multicoloured map has demarcated several regions as 'occupied' areas, including Ladakh and Tibet. Just days ago, on August 28, Beijing had released the 2023 edition of the "standard map of China" that included Taiwan, the South China Sea, Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin as Chinese territories. India had rejected the so-called "standard map." A few days back, a number of ASEAN member countries such as Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines also reacted sharply to China's territorial claim and its "standard map". The ASEAN countries have been insisting on a binding code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea largely in view of China's consistent attempts to assert its expansive claims over the region. ANOTHER NEET SUICIDE AT KOTA A NEET aspirant on Tuesday hanged herself in her hostel room at Kota, raising the suicide toll in the education hub to 25 this year. The incident took place at the hostel, which is located in the Electronic Complex of Vidyadhar Nagar, at around 10 p.m. The gate of the student's room was found. When her roommate saw her hanging from the noose, she informed other students. Richa Sinha (16), a resident of Ranchi, Jharkhand, had come to Kota five months ago in May. Warden Archana said that she had talked to the girl's father a month ago and asked him to come and meet his daughter. Richa had a cold and fever for the last two days. She was given medicine in the morning, but in the evening she ordered food in the room. BADEMIYA RAIDED A day after two eateries were given stop work notice, the Food and Drug Administration has ordered Bademiya, a popular eatery in South Bombay, to stop all operations. “A surprise raid was conducted on Wednesday evening at Bademiya, Colaba, which revealed that it did not have license to operate.   cloud A kitchen was serving meals for two of its adjoining branches. Investigation is on and further action will be taken,” said an FDA official. According to a news portal, the action was initiated over unhygienic food items that were found stacked at its roadside eatery, which is famous for its late hours and is commonly referred to as a tourist attraction behind the Taj. It started in 1946 as a makeshift seekh kebab counter. I will take yoga sessions and will present dance numbers EDIT MARKETS DON’T RUN ON EMPTY NIFTY CLOSES ABOVE 20K FOR FIRST TIME EVER HAPPY HINDI DIWAS Sensex rose for a 9th straight session while Nifty closed above the 20K mark for the first time on Wednesday `5,200 cr land deal – biggest in Mumbai Bombay Dyeing’s 22 acres at Worli now Japanese real estate S BALAKRISHNAN / MUMBAI In a blockbuster deal, Goisu Realty a subsidiary of the , Sumitomo Corporation of Japan, picked up a massive 22acre parcel of land belonging to Nusli Wadia’s Bombay Dyeing in Worli, on Wednesday for a whopping Rs 5,200 crore. The deal was approved by Bombay Dyeing’s board of directors and it now needs to be endorsed by the shareholders, the company said in a statement. A sum of Rs 300 crores will accrue to the Maharashtra government from the deal in the form of stamp duty .   The prime Wadia company said, “Upon approval of shareholders, BDMC (Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Co) will receive about Rs 4,675 cr from the buyer for Phase - I. The balance amount of about Rs 525 cr will be received upon completion of certain conditions by BDMC and execution & consummation of the definitive agreements thereto for Phase - II.” The land has been along with the associated floor space index (FSI). Goisu may get an FSI of 4.0 and if the municipal commissioner concurs, it may get an additional 1.0 FSI. ANANTNAG ENCOUNTER 2 Army officers, cop killed  The decision to monetise the land has been taken with a view to finance other real estate projects of the company . The deal has been entered Centre releases House agenda, no surprises T he government has called an all-party meeting on September 17, on the eve of the 5-day special session which will discuss the 75year history of Parliament, the government revealed on Wednesday evening, putting an end to days of speculation about its agenda. The government will also clear four bills, including one on the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner, which has generated much controversy The . other three Bills on the agenda are the Post Office CONTD. ON NATION Bill, FPJ NEWS SERVICE ANANTNAG/RAJOURI Three security force officers, including an Army Colonel, were killed in a gunfight with terrorists in Kokernag area of Kashmir's Anantnag, officials said in Srinagar on Wednesday . The deceased were identified as Colonel Manpreet Singh, Major Ashish Dhonchak  and deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir Police Hamayun Muzamil Bhat, the son of a retired IG. An operation was launched against the terrorists on Tuesday evening in Gadole area but was called off during the night. On Wednesday morning, the hunt for the terrorists resumed after they were spotted at a hideout. Colonel Singh, who was KENT, the 6-year-old Labrador who died trying to shield his handler commanding a 19 Rashtriya Rifles unit,  his team from led the front and attacked the terrorists. However, the terrorists fired upon him and he was critically injured along with the two others. The Colonel died on the spot, while INDIA bloc wades into deep waters DISCUSSES SEAT-SHARING PLAN, CASTE CENSUS FPJ BUREAU / NEW DELHI The INDIA bloc’s coordination committee met at the residence of Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar in New Delhi on Wednesday and agreed to take up the issue of caste census," Congress leader KC Venugopal said on Wednesday evening. The committee also discussed the seat-sharing formula for the general elections. It is for the first time that the Opposition formulation has stepped into deep waters and discussed the broad election campaign strategy . The leaders also discussed the strategy for the five-day special session of Parliament to be held from Monday . The bloc will hold its first public meeting in Bhopal in the first week of October. Only 12 of the 14  parties in the formulation attended the meeting. The biggest absen- The biggest absentee was the TMC, whose nominee – Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee – was “conveniently” summoned by the ED in connection with its inquiry tee was the Trinamool Congress, whose nominee -- Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee -- was "conveniently" summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with its inquiry into alleged irregularities in appointments to government schools. The bloc kept Banerjee’s chair vacant to send out a message on how central agencies are harassing the members of the Opposition alliance, said Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut. CONTD. ON NATION the other two were airlifted by Cheetah choppers to a hospital in Srinagar where they succumbed to their injuries. The terrorists were from "The Resistance Front", a proxy of Lashkar. CONTD. ON NATION into with a view to strengthen the balance sheet of the company for funding future real , estate projects, according to the company’s statement.   An elated  Nusli Wadia, who is the chairman, Wadia Group, expressed his happiness over the deal. The funds from the sale will help power the Wadia group to become a frontrunner in the real estate market of Mumbai. The company has already developed a large residential complex on its property at Naigaum, in CONTD. ON NATION Dadar. SC wants govt norms to avert media trials FROM OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Wednesday took strong exception to ‘media trials’ by police and directed the Union Home Ministry to prepare guidelines for police to follow during press briefings in relation to criminal cases. The ministry has three months to prepare a detailed manual. The apex court was referring to “biased reporting that gives rise to public suspicion that the person has committed an offence.’’ Underlining the need to There is a need to decide at which stage of investigation details should be disclosed, said the court sensitise police personnel, a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud directed top police officers of each state and the National Human Rights Commission to submit suggestions to the Home ministry within a month. “ Administration of justice TRICOLOUR HOISTING AS MODI TURNS 73 OUR BUREAU / NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to deviate from his own diktat that politicians should retire at 70. Rather, his 73rd birthday on Sunday will be marked by a ceremonial hoisting of the Tricolour in front of the New Parliament building, a day be- fore the start of the special session. The flag hoisting is to mark Vishwakarma Puja, Parliament officials clarified. This will be the first ceremonial flag hoisting event at the New Parliament building, which signifies the importance of the upcoming session. The special session, sched- uled from September 18 to 22, will commence in the old building and then move to the new building. It will be the first to be conducted in the new Parliament, which was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 28 May The agen. da for the special session still remains undisclosed. Preparations for the "na- India seeks probe and action A bodycam footage of a police officer joking about the death of a 23-year-old Indian student after she was struck by a speeding police patrol car earlier this year in Seattle has prompted India to raise the matter strongly with the US authorities for a thorough investigation and action against those guilty in the case. Jaahnavi Kandula was killed in January after she was struck by a police vehicle driven by Officer Kevin Dave. He was driving 74 mph (more than 119 kmph) on the way to check an incident of an overdose. In bodycam footage, Officer Daniel Aud- BEN STOKES struck the highest score by an England batsman in a one-day international on Wednesday, smashing a blistering 182 as the hosts piled up 368 against New Zealand at The Oval. Stokes had only recently reversed his ODI retirement. erer laughed about the deadly crash and dismissed any implication Dave might be at fault or that a criminal investigation was necessary . Commenting on the reports, the Consulate General of India in San Francisco termed the handling of Kandula's death in a road accident as "deeply troubling". CONTD. ON NATION SOMENDRA SHARMA / MUMBAI Maha-Goa border village is new drug transit hub barely a 15-minute drive from the new Goa International A small, sleepy hamlet on the Airport at Mopa. Israelis, Maharashtra-Goa border, Germans, Nigerian and Ruswith a population of 2,000, sians have made huge investhas come under the ments around scrutiny of intelliSasoli, for the disgence agencies for tribution of deINSIGHT signer party drugs narcotics trafficking. Sasoli village in Sindlike LSD, Ecstasy and cocaine hudurg, bordering Goa, has to Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, been flagged by intel agencies Hyderabad and Delhi. as the emerging transit hub Goa police has arrested 61 for narco-trafficking, with foreign nationals in the huge narco investments in last three years for drug sea-front properties that are trafficking, CONTD. ON NATION DHARMESH THAKKAR / MUMBAI THE FPJ IPHONE 15 LAUNCH IN INDIA tional flag-hoisting function" in front of the Gaj Dwar, one of the three ceremonial entrances of the new building, have begun. Senior officials from the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry and the CPWD conducted visits to the new building ahead of the upcoming session. CONTD. ON NATION BEWARE OF QR CODE SCAM, NOW Video shows US cop laughing over death of Indian student killed by patrol car ASSOCIATED PRESS HOUSTON is affected by ‘media trials’. Need to decide at which stage (of investigation) details should be disclosed. This is a very important issue because it involves interests of victim and accused. It also involves the interest of the public at large… media report on crimerelated matters involves many aspects of public interest,” the Supreme Court said. “ a baAt sic level fundamental right to speech and expression is directly involved in the context of both the media’s right to portray and broadcast ideas and news… CONTD. ON NATION Police have issued an advisory for citizens, cautioning them about an emergent Quick Response (QR) code scam. This fraud is a type of cybercrime where criminals attempt to steal users’ data by making them scan a malicious QR code. According to the advisory , QR code scams have become more and more popular amongst cyber-criminals. “By simply getting the victim to scan a malicious QR code, fraudsters gain access to the victim’s sensitive data and carry out financial frauds,” the advisory states. To avoid falling prey to QR code fraud, the advisory states, “Never scan a QR code box that doesn’t appear to be linked to anything else and has no accompany-ing text. Be wary of scanning a QR code in public places, like transport depots, bus stops or city centres. If you decide to scan, check whether the code is pasted on a sticker. If it’s a sticker, don’t scan,” the advisory further CONTD. ON NATION states. TAILPIECE Prices go through roof despite local assembly ‘Alien’ corpses presented KASHIF KHUSRO / MUMBAI Apple is gearing up for the release of the iPhone 15 in India next week, sourced primarily from assembly lines in India, joining other global smartphone giants in making India a manufacturing powerhouse. However, there is a distinct difference: Apple hasn’t extended the cost savings from local production to its Indian consumers. Apple is leveraging the benefits of assembling its product in India but the price tags of its devices remain steep. The iPhone 15 is priced at $799 in the US but will cost Rs79,900 ($965) in India. The more advanced iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max carry respective price tags of Rs1,34,900 ($1,628) and Rs1,59,900 ($1,930), mirroring similar disparities witnessed with iPhone 14 prices. Notably , currency fluctuations play a role, with the Indian rupee facing significant depreciation against the dollar over the past year. “ Apple’s international iPhone prices have adjusted, mainly reflecting currency dynamics. While the previous year saw price hikes in many foreign currencies due to a strong dollar, recent subtler dollar shifts resulted in diverse adjustments, including price increases in Japan and for Pro models in India,” Techcrunch reported quoting analysts at AllianceBernstein. Apple's pricing strategies aren’t the only concern. The tech giant offers limited financing collaborations with Indian banks. Moreover, trading in an older iPhone in India fetches merely around one-third of its purchase value, which is much less than global norms. Besides, India, despite its vast market potential, hasn't received Apple's full suite of services and is missing out on offerings such as News+, Fitness+, and Apple Pay Other . features, like the Apple Card and certain Apple Maps and Siri functionalities remain exclusive to other regions. In an expected twist, Apple's iPhone 15 models are adopting the USB-C charging port. USB-C has become a staple in Android phones, laptops, and even electric scooters since its introduction in 2015, but Apple maintained its proprietary Lightning connector for iPhones since 2012. CONTD. ON NATION FPJ DESK / MEXICO CITY In what has been described as a ‘watershed’ moment, an investigator has presented two allegedly 'non human' corpses to a  conclave in Mexico. Jaime Maussan, who has led investigations into alien and UFO phenomena for decades, also made the extraordinary claim that the  corpses, recovered from a mine in Peru, had a genetic composition 30% different from that of human beings  which suggests the bodies are of another species. The bodies shown were roughly humanoid in shape - - a retractable neck and long skull show 'characteristics' more 'typical of birds', the Mexican El Pais newspaper was quoted as saying. They were also found to have strong, light bones and CONTD. ON NATION no teeth.