FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. XXXX NO. 105 | INDORE | FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 22, 2023 | PAGES 14 `3 - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; TUT-TUT, TRUDEAU GOLDEN MOMENT IN INDIA'S PARLIAMENTARY JOURNEY: PM Pg-7 FP NEWS SERVICE / NEW DELHI In a massive escalation, India on Thursday put on hold visas applications emanating from Canada, even as the MEA spokesperson described the maple leaf country as a ‘safe haven for terror,’ a phrase that has been often used to run down Pakistan. Stating that Canada is a “safe haven for terrorists", Arindam Bagchi, the ministry spokesperson, told reporters, “We want the Canadian government to take action against those who face terror charges or repatriate them to India to face justice. We have sought either extradition or assistance related to that in the case of at least 20-25 individuals over the years, but the response has not been helpful at all." The MEA spokesperson said the larger issue was that of terrorism, terror-funding and safe havens being provided to terrorists abroad. "The issue is the incitement of violence, the inaction by the Canadian authorities, creation of an environment that disrupts the functioning of our high commission and consulates. That's making us temporarily stop the issuance of visas or providing visa services," Bagchi said. The decision to freeze the visa process stems from "security threats being faced by our high commissions and consulates" a Foreign Ministry statement said. CONTD. ON P6 ‘TERROR HAVEN’ VISAS ON HOLD GOD SAVE JUSTIN CANADA TOLD TO DOWNSIZE STAFF: India has asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic presence owing to the "interference of its diplomats in Indian affairs." The Canadian diplomatic presence in India is larger than what India has and accordingly needs to be downsized, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told reporters. "We have informed the Canadian government that there should be parity in diplomatic presence. Their numbers are very much higher than ours in Canada... I assume there will be a reduction," he said. The spokesperson added that "Canadian diplomatic interference in our internal affairs is a factor". The Canadian High Commission, however, claimed that some of its diplomats have received threats on social media platforms and it has, therefore, decided to temporarily adjust its staff presence. It further reminded New Delhi that in keeping with the Vienna conventions, India should provide for the security of its accredited diplomats and consular officers, ‘‘just as we are providing for theirs." Nonetheless, the Canadian High Commission and all its consulates in India will remain open and continue to serve clients. ‘NO’ TO THOSE LIVING OUTSIDE, TOO: A Canadian citizen would not be able to apply for an Indian visa even if he/she is living in any other country. "No visas to Canadians applying from other countries too," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE EDIT NIA seeks info about 10 accused in attack on Indian consulate CREDIBLE in San Francisco CHARGES: TRUDEAU NIJJAR BEHIND BEANT KILLING: Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu claims that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the “right hand” of those who killed his grandfather, former Punjab CM Beant Singh. AGENCIES NEW DELHI The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has released pictures of 10 accused involved in attacking the Indian consulate in the USA's San Francisco in March and has sought information about them from the public. In the three separate 'request for identification and information' notices issued against the wanted accused, the agency has sought information of importance that could lead to their arrest or apprehension. While two of the notices carry photographs of two accused each, the third notice shows pictures of the other six accused in the case. The agency has promised not to reveal the identity of anyone sharing information about the accused. According to the NIA, the case was registered following an attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco during the intervening night of March 18 and 19 when some pro-Khalistani entities allegedly trespassed into the consulate and tried to burn it down. The same day, Khalistani supporters, raising slogans, had broken through the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and put up two so-called Khalistani flags on the consulate premises, damaged the building and assaulted and injured the officials, the anti-terror federal agency said. CONTD. ON P6 Defining moment: 33% quota gets nod FP NEWS SERVICE New Delhi News Brief Murdoch steps down as head of News Corp, Fox NEW YORK: Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Australian media magnate whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down as leader of both Fox's parent company and his News Corp media holdings. PG-9 Govt unveils Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar NEW DELHI: The Centre on Thursday unveiled a new set of national awards in science, technology and innovation, called 'Rashtriya Vigyan Puraskar', and scrapped nearly 300 awards by various science departments. PG-7 Pak polls in last week of Jan 2024 ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's election commission on Thursday announced that the general elections in the country will take place in the last week of Jan 2024, amid pressure from parties for timely elections in the country. In a statement, the poll body said it reviewed work on delimiting constituencies and initial list for the delimitation of constituencies would be published on Sept 27. In what PM Modi described as a ‘‘defining moment in our nation's democratic journey’’, the Rajya Sabha on Thursday passed the Women’s Reservation Bill, which reserves 33 per cent of the seats in the Lok Sabha and the legislative Assemblies for women. More than 215 Rajya Sabha MPs voted in favour of the Bill; there were no abstentions or negative votes. The Bill had been passed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday with as many as 454 MPs voting in favour. Linking of Aadhaar with electoral rolls not mandatory: EC OUR BUREAU NEW DELHI: The writ petition filed under Article 32 alleged that EC has been insisting its officials to collect Aadhaar numbers of voters and the state officers are forcing the village, and booth level officials to collect Aadhaar number from the voters. The EC has told the Supreme Court that linking Aadhaar numbers with electoral rolls is not mandatory under the Registration of Electors Rules 2022. CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra recently apprised by the poll body that over 66 crores Aadhaar numbers have already been uploaded in the process of finalising electoral rolls. CONTD. ON P6 “This Bill will lead to a new confidence in the people of the country. All members and political parties have played a significant role in empowering women and enhancing ‘Nari Shakti’. Let us give the country a strong message,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in the Rajya Sabha before voting on the Bill. Later, Modi thanked all parties for their support. As in the Lok Sabha, the debate in the Rajya Sabha was over the timeline, since the Bill can only be implemented after census and delimitation, which pushes it back by at least six years. "The amendment of this bill is not difficult... you (the government) can do this now but have post- NGT recalls Rs 5 lakh fine imposed on state government FINDS ALL depts in line for protection of water bodies OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday recalled a fine of Rs 5 lakh imposed on the state government in an order on August 18 for not working for protection of Kaliasot and Kerwa water bodies. The state government had submitted its report on Wednesday . NGT, after state government's report, found that all concerning departments under supervision of the chief secretary are doing the needful for protection of state land and water bodies. The NGT order further said, 'In compliance of the order action taken report has been filed by the state on behalf of the chief secretary . The chief secretary in compliance of the order constituted a high-level committee which submitted that in compliance of the order an enquiry was conducted and action has been taken against defaulting officers. The members of the committee visited the site and submitted the report. The NGT order further observed, 'The state is endavouring all efforts to remove encroachment from state land and to protect it. It is submitted that in the rural areas there are lack of infrastructure and STP is not available there. CONTD. ON P6 poned it till 2031. What does this mean?" said Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien alleged that the BJP is not serious about empowering women. "You could not find one woman in 16 NDA states for the post of Chief Minister," he said during the debate. Former Union minister Kapil Sibal said, "We don't know who will come to power, but they must make a statement that if they don't complete the process by 2029, they will resign as prime minister and home minister". CONTD. ON P6 Ramaswamy takes lead over DeSantis WASHINGTON: IndianAmerican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has overtaken Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to occupy the second slot in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, according to the latest poll. He is a whisker ahead of another Indian-American and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley . However, former president Donald Trump still maintains a big lead ahead of Ramaswamy and others according to a CNN/University of New Hampshire poll. DeSantis, once considered a chief rival of Trump, is in fourth place behind former New Jersey governor Chris Christie. The Trump campaign cheered the poll results saying that "Ron DeSantis has plummeted to the fifth place in the Granite State". CONTD. ON P6 Swati Nayak named winner of Borlaug Award WASHINGTON: Dr Swati Nayak, an Indian scientist at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has been named the 2023 recipient of the prestigious Norman E Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, with the World Food Prize Foundation describing her as an "outstanding young scientist." Nayak is the South Asia Lead for Seed System and Product Management at the IRRI in New Delhi. Endowed by the Rockefeller Foundation, the award recognises Nayak for her innovative approach to engaging smallholder farmers in demanddriven rice seed systems, from testing and deployment to equitable access and adoption of climate-resilient and nutritious rice varieties, a release from the World Food Prize Foundation said in a tweet on platform X on Wednesday . The award is given to exceptional scientists under 40 and someone who works in the field of food and nutrition security, hunger eradication in memory of the Nobel awardee and Green Revolution's chief architect Dr Norman QUALITY AT VALUE 22.60c. 22.00c Sunrise : 06.14 Sunset : 06.27 FPJ: www.freepressjournal.in for 24x7 updates FOOD, FUN & FROLIC Pg-14 BILL RAISES QUESTIONS, NOT ANSWERS Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday reiterated that there are "credible allegations" on the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of a Khalistani extremist leader. He said that these allegations should be taken "extremely seriously," even as he urged the government of India to work with his country to allow justice to take its course. "We call upon the government of India to take this matter seriously and to work with us to shed full transparency and ensure accountability and justice in this matter," he said while responding to questions on the diplomatic row between India and Canada. "We are a country of the rule of law. We are going to continue to do the work necessary to keep Canadians safe and to uphold our values and the international rules based order. That's our focus right now," Trudeau said when asked whether his government will take any retaliatory measures following India's suspension of visa services for Canadians. –PTI r RNI No. 38281/83 WEATHER FP Borlaug. Based in Delhi, the scientist from Odisha, Nayak will formally receive the Borlaug Field Award during a ceremony at the 2023 Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue October 24-26 in Des Moines, Iowa (US), the release said. "This moment is a new beginning and a great opportunity to further strengthen my efforts, voice and impact as a field scientist," said Nayak. CONTD. ON P6 Shivraj unveils 108-ft statue of 'Adi Shankaracharya' FP NEWS SERVICE Sanawad/ Omkareshwar Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday unveiled a colossal 108foot statue of the 8th Century Hindu philosopher and saint Adi Shankaracharya in the presence of saints and religious gurus in Omkareshwar. The multi-metal 'Ekatmata ki Pratima' (Statue of Oneness) of Adi Shankaracharya, who consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta, marks the initiation of the first phase of ambitious Ekatma Dham project. The project includes development of Advaita Lok museum, showcasing the life and philosophy of Acharya Shankar (Adi Shankaracharya) through exhibits reflecting the message of Advaita Vedanta. This will be completed by 2026. The Acharya Shankar International Institute of Advaita Vedanta, which will serve as coordination, research and resource centre for the study and promotion of Advaita Vedanta is also envisioned as part of the multi-phase project. The multi-metal gigantic statue portraying Adi Shankaracharya as 12year-old boy, the age at which his Guru Govindapada at Omkareshwar, deemed that Shankara was ready to write commentaries on major spiritual texts. "My repeated salutations at the feet of Adi Guru Shankaracharya ji and heartfelt thanks to all of you for attending this grand event. Salute at the feet of Jagadguru. Offering darshan of Advaita Vedanta, the 108-feet-tall grand statue of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya ji, filled with auspiciousness, auspiciousness and auspi- ciousness," CM Chouhan said. Before unveiling the 'Statue of Oneness', Vedic prayers were performed on Mandhata Mountain under the guidance of Prasthanatray Bhashya Parayan and Dakshinamnaya Shringeri Sharda Peeth by around 300 renowned 'Vedic Archaks' of the country .