FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLI No. 32 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | JULY 10, 2024 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.com Sports Jasprit Bumrah, Mandhana named ICC Player of the Month for June ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Nation Killing of five soldiers won’t go unavenged: Govt P.7 MONEY Fitch says rated Indian cos’ sales to rise 2% in FY25; margin seen stable Cinema Bhuvan takes legal action against person... P.16 BJP turns MP 9L register, just 250 get jobs, 20K getting trained in industries into lab of OBC politics MUKHYAMANTRI SEEKHO KAMAO YOJANA Smita BHOPAL Around 250 youth so far have got jobs after completing their apprenticeship under Madhya Pradesh Government’s “Mukhyamantri Seekho Kamao Yojana”. The scheme, launched in June 2023 by former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, was meant to provide onthe-job training to youth in the industries so as to enhance fp Briefs NEW DELHI Haryana BJP prez appointed The BJP on Tuesday appointed MLA Mohan Lal Badoli, a seasoned organisational leader associated with the RSS, its Haryana unit president as it looks to strengthen its support base ahead of assembly polls in the state. A sitting MLA, Badoli lost the Lok Sabha election from Sonipat to his Congress rival in a close contest. Badoli made his maiden entry to the Haryana Assembly in 2019 from the Rai seat, the first time the BJP won from the constituency. HYDERABAD Indian student dies in US A 26-year-old Indian man from Andhra Pradesh drowned after falling into a waterfall at Albany in New York state, India's Consulate said, the latest incident to hit the community grappling with a string of such tragedies. Sai Surya Avinash Gadde, from Chityala of Gopalapuram Mandal in east Godavari district of Andhra, died on July 7 at Barberville Falls in Albany. The student's LinkedIn profile showed he enrolled at Trine University in the US state of Indiana in the 2023-24 session. SRINAGAR 4 of family killed in J&K Four persons of a family were killed in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said here on Tuesday. Ghulam Rasool Bhat, his son and two daughters had left home in the Rajwar area of Handwara to fetch drinking water on Monday night when they met with an accident at the Kanchaki village, an official of the traffic police said. They were rushed to a hospital where they succumbed to their injuries, the official added. RAMPUR Azam Khan's resort bulldozed Authorities on Tuesday used bulldozers to demolish a resort owned by the family of Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan which was built "illegally" on the land of a governmentowned fertiliser unit here. Rampur District Magistrate Joginder Singh said the administration took action to free 0.038 hectare of land of the fertilizer unit. their employability and help them secure jobs. The registrations under the scheme began in September 2023 and a total of around nine lakh youth registered themselves. Of them, around four lakh applicants completed the formalities and to date, 20,000 are under training in 7,500 industries. Of them, 700 have completed their apprenticeship and around 250 have got jobs in the same or other industries. About 31,000 industries based It’s a scheme to provide training, experience, not jobs, says Director, Skill Development in Madhya Pradesh and other states have associated themselves with the scheme. Under the scheme, an agreement is signed between the state government, the industry concerned and the student-apprentice. The industry would give the apprentices onthe-job training and pay a stipend of Rs 8,000 per month to Class 12 pass candidates, Rs 8,500 to ITI certificate holders, Rs 9,000 to graduates and Rs 10,000 to those having higher qualifications. The scheme is meant for domiciles of Mad- hya Pradesh in the 18-29 years age group. The industry concerned has to pay just 25 per cent of the stipend and the rest is paid by the government. Director, Directorate of Skill Development Harshika Singh, told Free Press that the general perception is that this scheme is meant to give jobs. “That is not so. It is aimed at providing work experience to the youth along the lines of the National Apprenticeship Act,” she says, adding that “Most of the ap- ELEPHANT TO BEAR: Solution impossible on battlefield, Modi tells Putin; shares pain over killing of children in Ukraine; remarks follow criticism by Zelensky Modi's peace offensive FPJ News Service Top Russian civilian award for PM Modi MOSCOW Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told Russian President Vladimir Putin that a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace efforts do not succeed in the midst of bombs and bullets, even as he flagged concerns over a deadly missile strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv. In his televised opening remarks at summit talks with Putin in the Kremlin, Modi said the killing of innocent children is heart-wrenching and very painful, a day after a suspected Russian missile struck a children's hospital in Kyiv triggering global outrage. "Whether it is war, conflicts, terror attacks, everyone be- lieving in humanity is deeply affected when there is a loss of lives. But even in that, when innocent children are killed, when we see innocent Hit-&-run accused arrested Age of consent for sex is 18, not 16: SC Staff Reporter Agencies MUMBAI NEW DELHI More than two days after the hit-and-run incident in Worli, in which a 45-year-old woman, Kaveri Nakhwa, was dragged to death after a BMW rammed into the scooter driven by her husband Pradeep early on Sunday, the driver of the BMW at that time and the main accused, Mihir Shah, 24, was arrested from a Virar resort in a joint operation by the Mumbai Police and Crime Branch on Tuesday. Police have also detained Mihir’s mother Meena, 50, elder sister Pooja, 30, and Kinjal, 26, who went missing after the incident, from Shahpur. Along with Mihir, police have detained his friend Avdeep from Virar, who was with him on Monday night. According to police, Mihir, his mother and two sisters, and Avdeep, were hiding in Shahpur after the incident. On Monday night, Mihir and Avdeep came to Virar, when Avdeep briefly switched on his mobile phone. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin decorates Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called in Moscow on Tuesday People not aware that age of consent for sex has been raised from 16 to 18, said the Supreme Court The Court made the observation while dismissing the Madhya Pradesh's government appeal against acquittal of an accused in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO Act). The age of consent was increased from 16 to 18 in India in 2012, with the enforcement of the POSCO Act and subsequent amendments to the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The public is largely unaware that the age of consent for sexual intercourse with a girl has been raised from 16 years to 18 years, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday. A Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Sanjay Karol and PV Sanjay Kumar today dismissed the Madhya Pradesh's government appeal against acquittal of an accused in a case under the Protection of children dying, then it is heartwrenching and that pain is very horrible," Modi said. 4Continued on | P6 The age of consent was increased from 16 to 18 in India in 2012, with the enforcement of the POSCO Act and subsequent amendments to the IPC PM Modi was officially awarded the ‘Order of St. Andrew the Apostle’ by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to enhancing bilateral relations between India and Russia. The Order was established in 1698 by Tsar Peter the Great, in honour of Saint Andrew, the first apostle of Jesus, and patron saint of Russia. It was bestowed in a single class and was only awarded for the most outstanding civilian or military merit. While accepting the award, PM Modi dedicated it to the people of India and to the traditional bonds of friendship between India and Russia. Amarwara polls today Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Children from Sexual Offences Act (POSCO Act). "Awareness is still not there that age of consent has been increased from 16 to 18. Else families can intervene and while opposing also say wait till 18," Justice Khanna remarked before disposing of the matter. The problems in proceeding with trial in POCSO cases involving consenting girls have been flagged by multiple members of the judiciary since consensual romantic and sexual relationships involving young girls often lead to prosecution against the male partner. The voting for by-poll of Amarwada Assembly seat (Schedule Tribe) in Chhindwara district will be held on Wednesday. Election Commission has made tight security arrangements to hold polling in a peaceful manner. Total 332 polling centres have been set up for polling. The by-election was necessitated as seat had fallen vacant after sitting Congress MLA Kamlesh Shah resigned to join the BJP during the Lok Sabha election. BJP has fielded Kamlesh Shah in the by-election and he is taking on Congress candidate Dheeran Shah. This by-election is a prestige point for both major political parties- BJP and Congress. Both of them have left no stone unturned to woo the voters. The outcome of election is not going to affect the political equation of the state as BJP is in majority, but it will be a matter of discussion in the corridors of the power. 4Continued on | P6 4Continued on | P6 prenticeships are for a period of one year. So far 700 have completed their training and 250 have got jobs.” Most of the apprentices have been absorbed in manufacturing industries. “We are in the process of compiling the details of the youth who have got jobs including the nature of work, pay package etc so that we can handhold them in the future, too,” the director says. 4Continued on | P6 Pannun’s org banned for five more years IANS NEW DELHI The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday extended the ban on 'Sikhs for Justice (SFJ)', founded by pro-Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, for another five years. In a notification, the MHA said that SFJ's activities have the "potential of disrupting peace, unity and integrity of the country". According to MHA, SFJ is involved in anti-national and subversive activities in Punjab, with the intention to disrupt the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. The MHA also said that SFJ is in "close touch with militant outfits and activists, and is supporting violent form of extremism and militancy in Punjab and elsewhere to carve out a sovereign Khalistan out of the territory of Union of India". 14 ministers, including CM and 14 MPs, are from this category Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL The BJP has turned MP into a laboratory of OBC politics, which has so far been a domain of UP and Bihar. OBC is given importance in the state these days. After induction of Ramniwas Rawat into the cabinet, the number of OBC ministers, including Mohan Yadav, has gone up to 14. Out of 29 MPs, 11 belong to OBC category. Similarly, out of ten RS members from the state three come from OBC. Next to OBC category, the number of ministers belonging to the SC is very high. Six ministers come from SC, five from ST and eight from category. There are six MPs from ST, four from SC and eight from the general category. The party has sent one ST, three OBC and three SC members to the Rajya Sabha. The Congress has one OBC Haridev Pushparaj MUMBAI One of the world’s finest cricketers and living legends, Sunil Gavaskar, turns 75 on Wednesday. Gavaskar has been an inspiration to generations of young cricketers across India and the world for decades. He was the first batsman to score 10,000 runs — 10,122 runs to be precise — in 1987. perhaps take that mindset to the next level, especially in the white ball formats. The Sri Lanka tour presents Gambhir with a perfect foil to start his experiments in the ODIs and T20Is. India are expected to play 10 Tests this year, including a highly anticipated five-Test tour of Australia in December and it would certainly challenge Gambhir’s strategic and tactical acumen in the longest format of the game and in one of the toughest places for an away team. first cricketer to gather over 10,000 Test runs, Gavaskar also held the record for the most tons in the longer format of the game. The ‘Little Master’ slammed 34 tons in the 125 Test appearances he made in his career. The record was unbeaten for a long period until the arrival of another batting legend called Sachin Tendulkar, who accomplished this feat in 2005. Calypso in the Caribbean: was Ashok Paranjpe. 4Continued on | P6 HATHRAS STAMPEDE UP Govt suspends 6, conspiracy hinted at Biswajeet Banerjee 34 Test tons: Apart from becoming the I would play for Dadar Union and we often met at Matunga. My captain then 4Continued on | P6 LUCKNOW Happy Birthday, Little Master. Platinum innings for Sunny The Little Master (as he is known) fearlessly faced the famed pace battery of Andy Roberts, Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Imran Khan, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Jeff Thompson, Dennis Lillee and that too, without a helmet. Speaking to The Free Press Journal, 1987 Wisden Cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar said, “My interaction with Gavaskar goes back a long way, since I was a teen. I was 13 or 14 years old and in 1971, and two general category members in the Rajya Sabha. Once, the BJP was identified as a Brahmin-Bania party. Most of its leaders were from the general category. Nevertheless, the BJP has set aside this tag after coming to power in 2003 and gave OBC chief minister to the state. Uma Bharti, Babulal Gaur and Shivraj Singh Chouhan have been the chief ministers of the state. Now, Mohan Yadav is wearing the crown. All of them belong to the OBC category. Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Darshan Singh Choudhary, Rodmal Nagar, Bharat Singh Kushwaha, Rahul Lodhi, Ganesh Singh, Bharti Pardhi, Vivek Sahu, Gyaneshwar Patel, Lata Wankhede belong to the OBC. In RS, Banshilal Gurjar, Maya Naroliya and Kavita Patidar are OBC. offgrid Robin Roy demystifies the folklore with Dilip Vengsarkar Besides CM Mohan Yadav, Prahlad Patel, Inder Singh Parmar, Aidal Singh Kanshana, Ramniwas Rawat, Karan Singh Verma, Uday Pratap Singh, Narayan Singh Kushwaha, Krishna Gaur, Narayan Singh Pawar, Dharmendra Lodhi, Dileep Jaiswal, Lakhan Patel and Narendra Patel are from OBC. Union mins, LS, RS members Guru Gautam Gambhir it is! It was almost a done deal that Gautam Gambhir would be anointed as the head coach of the cricket team. So, it was no surprise when BCCI secretary Jay Shah made the official announcement on Tuesday. Gambhir, a prominent member of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup winning team, has been the toast of the season in the Indian Premier League (IPL), having mentored the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title. He will take over as the head coach for the upcoming away series in Sri Lanka beginning July 27th, where India takes on the Islanders in three ODIs and as many T20Is. The Delhi man is famous for his upfront persona and combative attitude on the field. With skipper Rohit Sharma adopting an aggressive batting template that has yielded great results in the recently concluded T20 World Cup, Gambhir would OBC in cabinet Gavaskar put up a supreme show against the West Indies. He mustered 774 runs in his debut series against them in 1971 – still the most runs by a player in their maiden series – also playing a key role in helping India seal their first series win in the Caribbean. In fact, Gavaskar has the most Test centuries against the West Indies – 13 from 27 matches. The Uttar Pradesh government has suspended six officials, including a local Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and a Circle Officer, following a Special Investigation Team (SIT) report on the Hathras stampede. The incident, which occurred on July 2, resulted in the tragic loss of 121 lives and has raised serious questions about administrative and police conduct. The SIT, led by ADG Zone Agra and Commissioner Aligarh, conducted an exhaustive investigation, inspecting the site on July 2, 3, and 5. Their inquiry included recording statements of 125 individuals, including administrative and police officials, members of the public, and eyewitnesses. Additionally, the SIT reviewed various sources such as news articles, on-site videography, photographs, and video clippings. The report holds the event organizers primarily responsible for the stampede, citing their failure to manage the crowd adequately and concealment of critical facts to obtain permission for the event. It also found that local police and administrative officials were negligent in their duties. The SDM granted permission for the event without a site inspection or informing senior officers, which contributed significantly to the disaster. Furthermore, the SIT did not rule out the possibility of a larger conspiracy behind the incident and called for a thorough investigation. 4Continued on | P6