FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION VOL. 13 NO. 247 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | FEBRUARY 19, 2024 | PAGES 12 FITPASS MUSCLES ITS WAY TO PROFIT WITH SCALE BRNAD SUTRA `3 - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2021-2023; EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE EDIT THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF PUTIN’S CRITIC NAVALNY WEATHER FP 27.20c. 16.20c Sunrise : 06.59 Sunset : 06.23 Rising black carbon levels pose a threat to Himalayan glaciers BISWAJEET BANERJEE Dehradun Recent studies have underscored the significant role of black carbon in global climate change, ranking second only to carbon dioxide (CO2). Black carbon, primarily emitted from incomplete combustion of biomass fuels like wood and biofuels, poses a growing concern, particularly NEWS BRIEF MP varsities get Rs 400 cr INDORE: In a major development, as many as eight universities of Madhya Pradesh has been selected for whopping grant of Rs 400 crore under Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (PM-USHA). Three universities including Vikram University, Barkatullah University, and Jiwaji Vishwavidyalaya have been selected for a grant of Rs 100 crore each whereas five other varsities have qualified for Rs 20 crore funds each. These five varsities include Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV), Rani Durgawati University, Mahraja Chhatrasal Bundelkhand University, AwadheshPratap Singh Unviersityand Pandit S N Shukla University. READ FULL STORY ON PAGE 5 Imran demands judicial probe ISLAMABAD: Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan's party on Sunday demanded a judicial probe into growing allegations of vote rigging even as two major political parties failed to reach a power-sharing formula to form a coalition government. Though independent candidates backed by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won the maximum number of seats in Parliament, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) - have announced that they will form a coalition government after the February 8 elections resulted in a hung Parliament. in the environmentally fragile Himalayan region. Researchers from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna (HNB) Garhwal University have detected a troubling increase in black carbon concentrations in glaciers, notably the Satopanth and Bhagirath-Kharak glaciers in the Central Himalayas. These glaciers, crucial wa- levels during May-June and September-October. The study revealed fluctuating black carbon concentrations ranging from 12 nanograms per cubic meter to 439 nanograms per cubic meter hourly. The peak concentration was observed in June (230.96 ± 85.46 nanograms per cubic meter), while the lowest occurred in August (118.02 ± 71.63 nanograms per cubic meter). Black carbon aerosols, characterized by their absorption potential, have the capacity to absorb visible-infrared solar radiation, consequently heating the surrounding environment. This poses a significant threat, with black carbon's global warming potential identified as next to carbon dioxide. CONTD. ON P6 Nath caught between a rock and a hard place State BJP leaders opposing Nath's entry, Vijayvargiya says BJP doors are closed for him Talks to RaGa OUR STAFF REPORTER citybhopal@fpj.co.in By showing his inclination to join the BJP former chief , minister Kamal Nath seems to have been caught between two hard rocks. On one side, many BJP leaders are against Kamal Nath's possible entry into the party and at the same time, there are many Congress leaders who are not convinced with Nath's initiative to switch over to the BJP Sources said . there was a long discussion between Kamal Nath and Rahul Gandhi on Sunday . ter sources for the Alaknanda River, exhibit heightened black carbon NATH NOT JOINING BJP: EX-MIN VERMA Former Madhya Pradesh minister Sajjan Singh Verma, a staunch supporter of former chief minister Kamal Nath, said Nath would not join BJP and was still in Congress party. “Nath is having talks with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on some issue. He has family relation with Gandhi family. He is in Congress party,” Verma told media persons in New Delhi on Sunday. Responding to a query, Verma said, “At present, Nath is finalising the list for Lok Sabha election candidates. He is working on caste equations and searching the best candidates for election”. CONTD. ON P6 MANY MLAS OF NATH CAMP UNWILLING TO JOIN BJP Sources said that many leaders, who are supporters of Kamal Nath, are not interested in joining the BJP. Many Congress MLAs, loyal to Nath, don't want to contest the election again by joining the BJP. In such a situation, Nath's decision is becoming shaky. THERE IS PRESSURE OF ED, CBI, IT DEPT ON NATH, SAYS DIGVIJAYA SINGH Former Chief Minister Digvijay Singh said that like all, there is pressure of Enforcement Directorate, CBI and Income Tax on Kamal Nath. However Nath is not going to buckle under the pressure and he doesn't feel that Nath will desert the party. He added that Congress has given all pivotal posts to Nath like Cabinet Minister in centre, Chief Minister (in Madhya Pradesh) and other important posts in organisation. Nath has always supported Congress and has remained a pillar of the party. Rahul appealed to Nath not to desert the grand old party Reportedly Nath ap. , prised Rahul how he is being ignored in Congress party After the telephonic . conversation between Rahul and Nath, the tunes of Nath supporters have also changed. It is learnt that as of now, the conversation is underway over the joining of Nakul Nath into the BJP. CONTD. ON P6 QUALITY AT VALUE www.freepressjournal.in INDIA CAN WIN TESTS ON ANY PITCH, INCLUDING RANK TURNERS: ROHIT SPORTS Talks between farmer leaders & ministers begin AGENCIES Chandigarh A panel of Union ministers began the fourth round of talks with farmer leaders here on Sunday evening over their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Agriculture and Farmer Welfare Minister Arjun Munda, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai reached the Mahatma Gandhi State Institute of Public Administration in Sector 26 for the talks. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also joined the meeting. The Union ministers and farmer leaders had met earlier on February 8, 12 and 15 but the talks remained inconclusive. CONTD. ON P6 Occultist held for raping 3 women in 1 week FP NEWS SERVICE / Alot An occultist from Rajasthan, who was identified as Balveer Bairagi, was booked for allegedly raping three women in seven days in Alot, using the superstition to his advantage. SP Rahul Kumar Lodha confirmed the report, stating that an investigation is underway. The victims' statements are being recorded and necessary measures are being taken to pursue justice in the case. According to the information, Bairagi deceived a family in Alot under the guise of performing occult rituals, exploiting their fear of witchcraft. Over seven days, Bairagi subjected three women from the same family to the horrific acts and raped including a mother, her daughter, and her aunt. His motive was driven by greed, as he lured the family with promises of finding buried wealth. Bairagi's modus operandi involved coercing the victims into wearing talismans and consuming a concoction that rendered them unconscious. Also, he manipulated the male members of the family by sending them away from the home on the pretext of seeking blessings from Lord Balaji in Mahidpur. Patnaik most popular CM, Seeking stronger mandate for India's benefit: PM Yogi comes second: Survey NEW DELHI NEW DELHI: Odisha's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik topped the list with a remarkable popularity rating of 52.7 percent. Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath secured the second position with a 51.3 percent popularity rating. The third spot is held by Assam's Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who garnered a 48.6 percent rating, while the fourth position is occupied by Gujarat's Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, with a 42.6 percent rating. Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha occupied the fifth position in India in terms of popularity rat- ing among the Chief Ministers, according to a recent survey aimed at gauging the acceptability of the leaders. The survey aimed to gauge the popularity and acceptability of the country's chief ministers, unveiling some intriguing results. According to the survey, .Dr Manik Saha, with a commendable 41.4 per cent popularity rating, high- lighting his significant acceptance and approval among the citizens of Tripura and beyond. Following the survey, the people of Tripura praised Chief Minister Saha for his simplicity, dedication, honesty, and the developmental strides made under his leadership. Residents commended him for being a compassionate leader who shares in their joys and sorrows. Meanwhile, a local of Tripura who runs a shop and a businessman praised Chief Minister Saha and said, "Chief Minister Saha is very honest, and always works at the grassroots level. CONTD. ON P6 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked the BJP cadre to work with renewed vigour and confidence for the next 100 days to reach out to new voters and win their confidence to ensure the party's return to power in the Lok Sabha elections with a stronger mandate. Addressing the BJP national convention here, Modi said the nation will now have to dream big and make big resolutions to make India a developed country by 2047. "The next five years are going to be crucial. We have to take a big leap towards 'Viksit Bharat'. The first imperative is to ensure the return of the BJP to power in strong num- Jain seer Acharya DMK agrees to give 7 LS Vidyasagar dies seats to Congress in TN RAJNANDGAON Renowned Jain seer Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj breathed his last on Sunday at Chandragiri Teerth in Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district after undertaking 'sallekhna'. Sallekhna is a Jain religious practice involving voluntary fasting unto death for spiritual purification, a statement from the teerth said. Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj attained Samadhi through 'Sallekhna' at Chandragiri teerth at 2:35 am, the statement said. "Maharaj was staying on the teerth in Dongargarh for the last six months and was unwell from the last few days. For the last three days, he was observing sallekhna, a religious practice of voluntarily fasting to death, and had quit intake of food and liquids. According to Jainism, it is a vow taken for spiritual purification," the statement said. r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 Vidyasagar Maharaj Demise of Acharyaloss" was an "irreparable for the country. PM MODI A procession will be taken out at 1 pm on Sunday for people to pay tribute to the departed seer and the final rites will be held in Chandragiri teerth, it added. Ahead of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Dongargarh, a popular pilgrimage spot, and met Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj on November 5 and took his blessings. CONTD. ON P6 CHENNAI: DMK has agreed to give seven Lok Sabha seats to Congress instead of 16 seats, which the grand-old party had demanded. The Congress had contested on nine seats in the 2019 general elections by being an alliance partner in the Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) led by the DMK. The party had won eight seats while losing the Theni Lok Sabha seat where O.P. Raveendranathan of AIADMK won the seat by defeating senior Congress leader E.V .K.S. Elangovan. Sources said that the Congress' list of candidates was too large and the DMK team led by T.R. Baalu conveyed to the Congress leadership that it can only consider giving no more than seven seats. Earlier, DMK District Secretaries had conveyed to the party leadership that the Congress must be restricted to a smaller number of seats as it has limited strength on the ground. Sources said that the Congress state leadership is expecting that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will intervene and ask the DMK Chief to give the party a few more seats. A senior DMK leader told IANS that the strength of the Congress is minuscule in almost all the constituencies and that even the seven seats they got is more than sufficient. bers," the prime minister said. The two-day convention of the BJP was attended by nearly 10,000 members of the party from across the country . In his 65-minute speech at the Bharat Mandapam, Modi slammed the opposition, particularly the Congress, saying it lacked the courage to take on the BJP ideologically or on the basis of principles. "The Congress is demoralised... therefore, abusing Modi and levelling false allegations against me have become the single-point agenda of its leaders," he added. The prime minister said that even opposition leaders are now raising slogans in favour of more than 400 Lok Sabha seats for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). "But, for NDA to cross 400, the BJP will have to cross the milestone of 370," Modi said. He said every country across the world is now keen to forge a deeper relationship with India. "Elections are yet to take place, but I already have invitations from different AAP, Predator drone deal to be to go Cong indecision solo Punjab signed soon: Navy Chief mutual: Kejriwal VISAKHAPATNAM Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Sunday said the all-important deal for buying 31 Predator drones from the US has been cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council and is expected to be signed in the next few months. "We are the lead servers who are steering it. The letter of request has been cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council and the AGENCIES New Delhi letter of request has gone to the US government. They have given us a draft letter of availability. Now the final one will come. It has to be placed before the (the US) Congressional committee thereafter it will come," he said. CONTD. ON P6 Selfie point near LoC in Uri becomes major tourist spot URI (KASHMIR) A selfie point near the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir has become a major attraction for tourists as it allows them to capture the mesmerising beauty of Uri's remote border region and offers a panoramic view of the Jhelum river, officials said here. The INDIA selfie point provides visitors with an engaging environment symbolising a sense of nationalism in the region, they said. The army had last year opened 'Kaman Setu', zero-point at the LoC here, for tourists. The selfie point was opened for the public around the Republic Day this year. The selfie point is the brainchild of artist and countries for July, August and September. This means that several countries across the world are also completely confident about the return of the BJP government," he said. Modi said that every country across the world knows "aayega toh..." as the gathering shouted "...Modi hi. Aayega toh Modi hi." The prime minister said fulfilling the dreams of crores of women, poor and youth is his mission. "We rid the country of mega scams and terror attacks, and made efforts to improve the living standards of the poor and the middle class," he said. Modi said he is seeking a third term not to enjoy power but to work for the nation. CONTD. ON P6 RNAF founder Rouble Nagi. It has been positioned strategically along the National Highway-44 and the structure offers a panoramic view of the picturesque Jhelum river, enhancing the pride of the locals as well as the tourists, the officials said. The army thanked Nagi's foundation which is known for its women empowerment projects. "Her gesture of gifting the structure stands as a testimony to rising nationalism in the valley The selfie . point was conceptualised with an aim to provide a unique engaging environment for individuals and groups alike," the army said. CONTD. ON P6 Rebuffing rumours about all not well in opposition bloc INDIA, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that it is "mutual decision" of the AAP and Congress to go solo in Punjab for the Lok Sabha elections, and there are no differences between them. Talking to reporters about AAP's decision to go it alone in Punjab, Kejriwal, who met Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi for lunch, said that the decision was mutual and there is no hostility over this. The Chief Minister said that the AAP is holding seat-sharing talks with the Congress in Delhi as not going for it will make things easy for the BJP. Since a decade, the BJP has been winning all seven parliamentary seats in the national capital. CONTD. ON P6