FP FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. 13 NO. 241 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | FEBRUARY 13, 2024 | PAGES 16 `3 - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 QUALITY AT VALUE www.freepressjournal.in NATION MASSIVE SECURITY & MULTI-LAYERED BARRICADING AHEAD OF THE WRATH WEATHER FLIGHT TO FREEDOM account of Rs 1,45,000 cr I’M SURE THERE WILL BE A COUPLE OF PLAYERS WHO WILL PLAY FOR INDIA SPORTS 26.20c. 13.00c Sunrise : 07.01 Sunset : 06.20 8 ex-Navy officers released by Qatar SISTER OF EX-NAVY OFFICER THANKS MODI GOVT 7 BACK IN NEW DELHI, one to follow soon NEW DELHI Qatar has released eight jailed former Indian Navy personnel and seven of them returned home on Monday, in what is seen as a major diplomatic victory for India that came nearly three-and-half months after a Qatari court handed them death sentence that was subsequently commuted to varying jail terms. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself constantly supervised all the developments in the case and has never shied away from any initiatives that would ensure the return of the Indians. The seven Indian nationals reached Delhi by a private airline at around 2:35 am. The foreign secretary with, out elaborating, said New Delhi continues to work with ‘BHARAT MATA KI JAI’ NEW DELHI: Former Indian Navy personnel who landed at the Delhi airport on Monday morning raised chants of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's personal intervention in their case following their release from a Qatar court after 46 days. PM TO VISIT DOHA ON FEBRUARY 14 NEW DELHI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Qatari capital Doha on February 14 after concluding his two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates, an announcement that came hours after Qatar released eight jailed former Indian Navy personnel. I t is a big diplomatic win for India. It shows how India has negotiated so well that we have our Navy veterans back," relief - and a It'salla huge quiet celebration matter of for Indians “ SHAZIA ILMI , BJP SHASHI THAROOR, CONG Comfortable win for Nitish after RJD Speaker ousted AGENCIES Patna NEWS BRIEF Flights to major religious places BHOPAL: Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said that the state government has decided to begin air connectivity at major religious places in the state very soon. CM Yadav made the remark while speaking in response to the governor's address in the state assembly on Monday. "Our government has decided that air travel facilities will start in all the major religious places of Madhya Pradesh including Mahakal Temple, Orchha very soon. Efforts are made that if tenders are filled on time then air facilities will be started from Indore to Mahakaleshwar, Indore to Omkareshwar and to other religious places ahead of Lok Sabha elections.” Imran's leaders meet Prez Alvi ISLAMABAD: Senior leaders of Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party met with President Arif Alvi on Monday and briefed him on the alleged irregularities in the February 8 general elections as the cashstrapped country faces a hung Parliament. Sandeshkhali women assured of safety KOLKATA: West Bengal Police has received only four complaints from people in violence-hit Sandeshkhali, but none of them mentioned rape or sexual harassment, a senior officer said on Monday. The National Democratic Alliance government in Bihar, led by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, on Monday won the trust vote in the state assembly, with 129 MLAs voting in favour of the motion, amid a walkout by all non-NDA members. Altogether, 129 legislators voted in favour of the motion, but Kumar rose to suggest that the vote of Deputy Speaker Maheshwar Hazari, who belongs to the JD(U), also be counted. Usually, the person in the Chair does not take part in voting, unless there is a tie. Hazari ordered a headcount after having declared the motion as passed through voice vote, following a request from Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, which was seconded by Kumar, the JD(U) president. CONTD. ON P8 Mani Shankar calls Pakistanis ‘biggest asset of India’ LAHORE: No stranger to controversy, veteran Congress leader and former Union Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar, on Sunday triggered a fresh row after coming out in praise of Pakistani people and terming them as the 'biggest asset of India', Dawn reported. According to the Pakistan daily, Aiyar, while addressing an event in Lahore, said, "The Pakistanis, from my experience, have been the people who perhaps overreact. He was speaking at the Faiz Festival at Alhamra in Lahore. P7 HAD WARNED CONG "I had warned the Congress that things were not going well (in INDIA bloc). Some people were having problems with me occupying the centrestage. Even his (Yadav's) father seemed to have joined my detractors," alleged Kumar, who was seen as a contender for the post of a convenor or the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition coalition. NITISH A FATHER FIGURE RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said he always considered Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to be a father figure, and wondered what forced him to ditch the 'Mahagathbandhan' and return to the BJP-led NDA. He was taking part in the debate on the confidence motion moved by the Kumar-led NDA government in the assembly. GWALIOR: The sister of one of the eight jailed former Indian Navy personnel released by Qatar expressed happiness on Monday over the development and thanked the Indian government and Qatar authorities for their release. Dr Meetu Bhargava, the sister of Commander (retired) Purnendu Tiwari who has not yet reached India, said that she kept patient during stressful time and would have been happier had he also returned, and added that he would come back soon. the Qatari government to ensure the return of the eighth Indian quickly . In an early morning statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India appreciates the decision by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for enabling the release and home-coming of the Indians. CONTD. ON P8 Industrial output up, inflation down NEW DELHI India's industrial growth rate recovered to 3.8% in December 2023 from the 8month low of 2.4 per cent in November, data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday showed. In December 2022, India's industrial output had grown by 5.1 per cent. The industrial growth rate for April-December 2023 now works out to 7% as compared to 5.5 percent in April-December 2022. Meanwhile, retail inflation eases to 3-month low of 5.1 pc in Jan New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) Retail inflation eased to a three-month low of 5.1 per cent in January mainly on account of lower food prices, according to official data released on Monday . Inflation based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was at 5.69 per cent in December 2023 and 6.52 per cent in January 2024. CONTD. ON P8 Karnataka farmers en route Delhi detained in Bhopal OUR STAFF REPORTER City.bhopal@fpj.co.in Around 100 farmers travelling from Karnataka to Delhi for a protest march were detained at Bhopal railway station in the early hours of Monday . The farmers were deboarded from Sampark Kranti Express and handed over to the district authorities. The farmers staged a protest and raised slogans after they were forced to alight from the Delhi-bound train and not allowed to SIDDA CONDEMNS ARREST Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday condemned the arrest of state farmers in Madhya Pradesh who were heading to the national capital to protest against the central government. "I demand that the Madhya Pradesh government immediately release all the farmers from our state who have been arrested and allow them to participate in the protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi tomorrow," he added. travel further. They were detained under Sections housed in a lodge, where 107,116 and 151 of the IPC. they went to the top of the Farmers have called for a building and protested march on February 13 to against the action. demand a law guaranteeBesides, it was learnt that ing MSP for their produce, around 15,000 farmers were one of the conditions they prevented from going to Delhad set when they agreed hi at various places in the to withdraw their agitastate on Monday They were . tion in 2021. CONTD. ON P8 Deep fakes, GenAI fuelling romance scams NEW DELHI As Valentine's Day approaches, cyber-security researchers on Monday said that romance scams are on the rise in India and 66 per cent of people in the country fell prey to an online dating scam. In 2023, 43 per cent of Indians became victims of AI voice scams and 83 per cent of those who were scammed lost money. In recent years, romance scams have undergone a chilling transformation, merging traditional tactics with advanced technologies like generative AI and deepfakes, according to a new report by Tenable, the exposure management company. "AI-generated deepfakes have become sophisticated enough that more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of Indians say they cannot differentiate between AI and a person's real voice," the findings showed. Scammers are now leveraging generative AI and deepfake technologies to create more convincing personas in romance scams. "I strongly advocate for heightened vigilance when coerced away from established platforms into private conversations, where the protective layers of the initial site are forfeited. Regardless of the involvement of generative AI or deepfakes, the watchword is caution," said Chris Boyd, staff research engineer at Tenable. CONTD. ON P8 TRANSFORMATIVE JOURNEY CINEMA Devda presents vote on OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in To meet the financial needs of four month from April 1 till July 31, finance minister Jagdish Devda presented the vote on account of Rs 1,45,229.55 crore in the Assembly on Monday . The sum will be adjusted in the full-fledged budget after the Lok Sabha elections. Before the vote on account, the finance minister tabled the budget estimate for 2024-25. According to the budget estimate, the government is going to take an overall loan (including internal loan, advance and loan from the Central government) of Rs 88,540 crore. In the revised estimate 2023-24, the overall loan was Rs 76,230 crore. This means that this time, the government is going to take Rs 12,000 crore more than the last time to meet various expenditures. As far as the budget estimate 2024-25 is concerned then the government is intending to take internal loan of Rs 73,540 crore, Rs 15,000 crore as loan and advance from the Centre. IN 2 MONTHS, GOVT FULFILLED 40 POLL PROMISES: CM OUR STAFF REPORTER city.bhopal@fpj.co.in In the past two months, the government has completed 40 points stated in the BJP’s manifesto and the manifesto is for five years, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said in the Assembly on Monday . The debate on vote on thanks on Governor’s address concluded after the statement by the CM. The Congress MLAs raised their voice against the governor’s address. The CM added that recently a few more decisions were taken by the government in which 11 CONGRESS STAGES WALKOUT The Congress staged a walkout after parliamentary affairs minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said that the history books published in the Congress rule called Guru Govind Singh, Tantya Mama and Shivaji as ‘looters’. Vijayvargiya’s statement led to uproar in the house.Congress MLAs, including leader of opposition Umang Singhar, deputy LoP Hemant Katare, Ram Niwas Rawat, Omkar Singh Markam and others demanded to delete the word ‘looters’. Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar said that the MLAs of the ruling party had quoted the book of NCERT and after studying the book he will take the decision.The Congress members asked the Speaker to delete the word till the time, but their demand was not accepted. Following this, the Congress MLAs staged a walkout. Ex-Maha CM Ashok Chavan quits party YET TO DECIDE on joining BJP MUMBAI: In a setback to Congress ahead of Lok Sabha polls, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan resigned from the grand old party on Monday, amid speculation that he may join the BJP. Chavan's exit from Congress came days after senior Maharashtra Congress leaders Baba Siddique and Milind Deora quit the party . There was no confirmation either from Chavan or the BJP of reports that the 65-year-old leader will be fielded for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Amid the buzz that Chavan will join the BJP, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters, Aagey aagey dekho hota hai kya (wait and watch what hap- ayurvedic colleges and universities have been sanctioned and will start operating from this session. These points were not included in the manifestos. He said that the state government has made provisions to establish air ambulance services for the poor in the vote on account. The CM applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the works done by the government in his leadership in the past 10 years in his speech. The Congress MLAs raised objections to taking the PMs name in the Assembly . CONTD. ON P8 pens . Chavan said the decision to quit the Congress was a personal one, adding he will announce his next course of action in a day or two. "I have not yet made any decision to join BJP," he added. In a letter to state Congress president Nana Patole, Chavan said he was resigning as a primary member of the party. He also submitted his resignation as an MLA to assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar. Speaking to reporters, Chavan said, "I am not going to discuss anything happening in the Congress party on a public forum." Asked if he would join the BJP, Chavan said, "I haven't taken any decision yet on joining the BJP and don't know BJP's working system." He also said his decision to quit the Congress is a personal one and he does not want to ascribe any reason to it. CONTD. ON P8 Sonia in RS, Priyanka from Rae Bareli ONLINE REPORT New Delhi Congress's Sonia Gandhi is likely to move from the hurly burly of Lok Sabha elections, handing the baton to daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, sources said. The veteran leader is likely to be nominated for a Rajya Sabha seat in Rajasthan. Priyanka will contest the Lok Sabha polls from the family turf of Raebareli, sources said. This would be her first election. Sonia Gandhi, 77, is likely to file nomination from Jaipur in the coming round of Rajya Sabha election, sources said. For the Congress, it would be a huge Change of Guard. Sonia Gandhi has been representing Raebareli in the Lok Sabha since 2006. She had won the seat even in 2019, when the Congress performance was at its all-time low and Rahul Gandhi lost the other family turf of Uttar Pradesh -- Amethi -- to the BJP's Smriti Irani CONTD. ON P8 4 wickets in 4 balls! MP bowler’s historic feat in Ranji Trophy INDORE Monday turned out to be a memorable day for 31year-old Kulwant Khejroliya as he joined Delhi's Shankar Saini and Jammu and Kashmir's Mohammed Mudhasir in taking four wickets in four balls in Ranji trophy history. He also became the third MP bowler to take a hat-trick in the Ranji Trophy. MP made 454 in their first innings and dismissed Baroda for a paltry 132 in their first innings to enforce follow-on. A rearguard 105 from top-order batter Shashwat Rawat kept Baroda in the game before they were hit by Khejroliya. Madhya Pradesh dismissed Baroda for 270 in 98.3 overs to complete the massive win and grab the top position in the points table. Bowling the 95th over, Khejroliya, who has been part of Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, dismissed Shashwat Rawat, Mahesh Pithiya, Bhargav Bhatt and Akash Singh on the second, third, fourth and fifth balls as the visitors slipped from 255-5 to 255-9 in a jiffy . He then returned to take the final wicket of Atit Sheth (20) in the 99th over to complete his fivewicket haul and also the massive win. SEE PG 14