Vol. 35 No. 6 | SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 5, 2023 | 26 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 Quality at Value www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: MUMBAI*, Pune, Nashik, Konkan, Indore, Bhopal, E-paper THE MANY DIWALIS Numerous regional ceremonies and rituals distinguish the festival of lights WHAT NOT TO SAY TO YOUR BOSS Make your work life better by avoiding these often overlooked points Free rations for five more years Modi’s gift three days before Chhattisgarh votes FPJ NEWS SERVICE / DURG Three days before the first day of polling in the State, Prime Minister Modi announced the Centre's decision to extend for five years the free ration scheme for the poor. Significantly he , was addressing an election rally The . scheme, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojna, will cover 80 crore poor people across the country The . scheme began in April 2020, initially for three months but was extended. Under this poor families get five kilos of foodgrain every month. “I have decided that the BJP government will extend the scheme of providing free ration to 80 crore poor people of the country for the next five years. Your affections and blessings give me the power to take such decisions,” Modi said at the election rally . “During Covid-19, the biggest concern of the poor was what they would feed their children... Then I decided that I will not let any poor sleep hungry hence the BJP government , started the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana,” he said. Earlier, people used to go from one state to another to work as labourers and were not able to get ration, Modi said. Now, with the ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ scheme, they can get ration anywhere in the country he , said, even as he attacked the Congress alleging that it wants to keep people poor. The Prime Minister also highlighted the Ayushman Card, saying the scheme under which people can get treatment of Rs5 lakh free of cost, has been introduced keeping in mind the health of the people. Jan Aushadhi Centres were opened so that medicine could be available to all at affordable rates, but Congress did not like this and got more than 100 medicine centres closed in Chhattisgarh, he CONTD. ON NATION claimed. DECADES OF CINEMATIC MASTERY Filmmaker Shyam Benegal talks about making movies in his 80s and his recent release IN THE RUBBLE OF A TEMBLOR PM turns Mahadev app screw on CM FPJ NEWS SERVICE / DURG Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel over the alleged ‘Mahadev’ betting app scam. The Congress leader and the state government should tell people what links they have with the accused who are sitting in Dubai, Modi said at a public meeting in Durg, Chhattisgarh. The Chief Minister has become frustrated after the money was recovered, Modi said a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed that a forensic analysis and a statement made by a “cash courier” have led to “startling allegations” that Mahadev betting app promoters paid about Rs508 crore to Baghel so far. “The Congress government in Chhattisgarh has not spared any chance to loot you. They have not even spared the name of ‘Mahadev’. CONTD. ON NATION BJP leader killed, sixth in Naxal areas FPJ NEWS SERVICE / RAIPUR A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was killed on Saturday in Narayanpur district in poll-bound Chhattisgarh by suspected Naxalites, a police official said. Ratan Dubey, the Narayanpur district vice president of the party was hacked to death , around 5:30 pm in the market at Kaushalnagar village under Jharaghati police station area while he was campaigning for Assembly polls scheduled for November 7 and 17, according to Additional Superintendent of Police Hemsagar Sidar.This is the sixth killing of a BJP leader by suspected Naxalites in Maoist-hit areas of the state. “ police team has rushed to A the spot. The body was brought to Narayanpur town. Security forces have launched an operation to trace the assailants,” he said. Dubey was a member of Narayanpur Zilla Panchayat, the official said. Dubey a member of Narayanpur , Zilla Panchayat, was addressing a gathering of people, when two persons attacked him on his head from behind, according to an eyewitness. “Dubey ran towards his car and tried to get inside but a few more persons surrounded him and attacked him with sharp edged weapons leading to his death on CONTD. ON NATION the spot. A man searhces for signs of life in the debris of a building demolished by an earthquake of 6.4 magnitude in northwestern Nepal that left at leasat 157 people dead and hundreds injured. –AP 2 students behind threats to Ambani 8 bodies recovered at Raigad blast site VISHAL SINGH / MUMBAI FPJ NEWS SERVICE / MUMBAI Two students have been arrested for allegedly issuing death threats through email to Reliance Industries chairperson Mukesh Ambani and demanding Rs400 crore from him. The threats were issued in the name Shadab Khan. The Crime Intelligence Unit (CIU) of the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested Rajveer Khant (21) from Kalol, Gandhinagar, while the Gamdevi police, in whose jurisdiction Ambani stays, has arrested Ganesh Ramesh Vanapardhi (19) from Warangal in Telangana Khant is a third year B Com student and had emailed the threat to Ambani “as a joke”. CONTD. ON NATION The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has recovered eight bodies from the site of the blast that took place on Friday at the factory of Blue Jet Healthcare Ltd at Mahad in Raigad district. Seven people were seriously injured and seven others are still missing in the blast at the MIDC complex about 170 km from here. A search is on for the missing persons. The blast was apparently caused by the leakage of gas from the plant. The company’s stock had made a strong debut on November 1 on the bourses, listing at a 9.8 per cent premium to the IPO price of Rs346. The shares opened at Rs380 each on the NSE and Rs359 each on BSE. The state government has ordered an inquiry into the incident. CONTD. ON NATION