FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 38 | BHOPAL | MONDAY | JULY 22, 2024 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.com Sports Morkel may join as India’s bowling coach P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL WORLD NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Growing economy with equity P.8 Pelosi avoids ‘Biden future’ in speech to N Carolina Dems Brandsutra Growing With The Flow P.12 ‘Ageing crisis may hit India due to rising infertility’ Attempt to bury Hormonal issues, increasing substance use, and changing lifestyle are leading to an increase in infertility in India, which may irreversibly altar India's population dynamics, potentially leading to an ageing crisis, Dr Ajay Murdia, the man behind India's one of the largest fertility chain, Indira IVF, has said. Talking to PTI ahead of the World IVF Day on July 25, Dr Murdia said that India stands at a critical crossroads, facing an unprecedented infertility crisis that threatens not only millions of families but the country's future demographic balance. "According to some estimates, about 27.5 million married couples are actively trying to conceive and are suffering from infertility. But only about 275,000 IVF cycles are performed every year," he said. "This silent epidemic, af- fecting one in six couples, is rapidly evolving into a national emergency with farreaching consequences for India's societal structure and economic prospects," Murdia, Founder and Chairman of Indira IVF, said. According to a National Family Health Survey, the fertility rate is 1.6 in urban India and 2.1 in its rural areas. By 2050, India's total fertility rate (TFR) is pro- ALL-PARTY MEET: Explosive Monsoon session likely Oppn raises eatery, NEET rows; govt seeks teamwork PTI Many demand special status NEW DELHI fp Briefs JAMMU J&K accidents: 5 killed, 7 hurt Five people, including a father-son duo and a mother-daughter duo, were killed and seven injured in two separate road accidents in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Reasi districts on Sunday, officials said. A taxi carrying eight people and proceeding towards Lam from Thandikassi fell off a hilly road near Chalan village in Rajouri in the morning, they said. The driver of the vehicle, Arun Kumar (32), a resident of Lam, was found dead by the rescuers at the spot, while Mohammad Din (65) and his son Mohammad Aslam (40) succumbed to their injuries. BENGALURU Karnataka HC quashes POCSO case The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against a 23-year-old man from Mysuru, who had allegedly sexually assaulted a 18-year-old when she was a minor, following their marriage and production of their marriage certificate. Justice M Nagaprasanna emphasised that the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) case could be revived if the accused abandons the girl and their child after the case's closure. LUCKNOW 11 killed due to rains in UP Eleven people were killed in rain-related incidents across Uttar Pradesh in a 24-hour period ending Saturday evening, relief department officials said. According to the relief department, from 6:30 pm on Friday to 6:30 pm on Saturday, five persons drowned and five others were killed after being hit by lightning. One person in Ghazipur district was killed after snake bite. Uttar Pradesh recorded an average of 7.3 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period. Of the 75 districts, 19 recorded excess rainfall in this time period, with Hamirpur recording a maximum rainfall of 163.2 mm. Ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, the JD(U), YSRCP and BJD on Sunday demanded special category status for Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha respectively, while the Congress's Jairam Ramesh said "strangely, the TDP kept quiet on the matter". The demand for special category status for Bihar during an allparty meeting came from the ruling NDA as well as the INDIA opposition bloc, with BJP allies - Sanjay Kumar Jha of the Janata Dal (United) and Union minister Chirag Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) - also batting for it. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) also joined the chorus. Jha, however, said a special financial package can also be an option if a special status is not possible. Opposition parties drew the battle lines on the eve of Parliament's Budget session on Sunday as they asked the government at an all-party meeting to allow discussion on a host of contentious issues such as the Uttar Pradesh government's order to eateries on the Kanwar Yatra route and exam paper leaks, including of the prestigious NEET. The government, which breaking from the recent practice invited a number of smaller parties for the meeting to signal its political outreach, conveyed its willingness to discuss all issues but Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stressed that it should be in accordance with the rules. He called for cooperation from all parties for running Parliament smoothly, saying it is a collective responsibility. Chairing the meeting, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke against disruptions in Parliament and said its sanctity must be maintained. Congress leader K Suresh told reporters that his party was joined by other INDIA bloc B’desh top court scales back job quota Rain brings relief from RESCUE OPS ON humidity in Bhopal 5 of family Agencies 7% deficit rainfall in state Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju with Congress MP Jairam Ramesh in New Delhi on Sunday Sitharaman set to make history Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to create history when she presents her seventh straight Budget on Tuesday for the fiscal 2024-25, surpassing the record of former prime minister Morarji Desai. Sitharaman, who will turn 65 next month, was in 2019 appointed as India's first full-time woman finance minister. members in seeking the Lok Sabha deputy speaker's position for the opposition according to convention. 4Continued on | P6 trapped in flood in Sehore DHAKA Bangladesh's top court on Sunday pared back, but fell short of public demands to abolish, contentious civil service hiring rules that sparked nationwide clashes between police and university students that have killed 151 people. What began as a protest against politicised admission quotas for sought-after government jobs snowballed this week into some of the worst unrest of PM Sheikh Hasina's tenure. Soldiers are patrolling cities across Bangladesh after riot police failed to restore order, while a nationwide internet blackout since Thursday has drastically restricted the flow of information to the outside world. Bangladesh's top court on Sunday pared back, but fell short of public demands to abolish, contentious civil service hiring rules that sparked nationwide clashes between police and university students that have killed 151 people. 4Continued on | P6 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Bhopal experienced sharp showers on Sunday evening providing relief from humid weather. Through out the day, was almost clear sky but after afternoon it turned cloudy and started precipitated in the evening. Madhya Pradesh recorded 7 per cent less rainfall than normal so far. Around 30 districts recorded below the normal rainfall so far. The state recorded 311.6mm while normal rainfall is 335.3mm rainfall, according to meteorological department officials. Eastern region recorded 18 per cent less rainfall. It recorded 309.8mm rainfall while Lightning strike Lightning struck on Jail Road during rain in evening. Wall of Atal Parishar developed cracks in Sanjiv Nagar, Jail Road. However, no casualty has been reported. This spell of rain flooded roads in many pockets like DG Bungalow, Bhopal Talkies, Safia Road, Alpana Tiraha, Hamidia Road in Bhopal. normal rainfall is 379.4mm rainfall. Western region recorded 4 per cent surplus rainfall. It recorded 313mm rainfall while normal rainfall is 301.4mm rainfall. 4Continued on | P6 Five persons were trapped in Amagarh waterfall in Sehore district on Sunday where they had gone for a picnic. Sehore experienced very heavy rainfall in last 24 hours leading to flood like situation all over district. Family of Ashok Maheshwari, Airport Road, Bhopal, had gone for picnic there at Amargarh water fall. When they were returning after picnic water level increased and they were unable to reach safe ground. Sehore collector Pravin Singh informed Free Press, “Five persons of Bhopal have been trapped at Amargarh waterfall. Administration has launched massive rescue operations. They had gone there for picnic.” When this report was filed, the rescue operation was continuing. jected to dip to 1.29, far below the replacement rate of 2.1. This means a rapidly depleting working-age population. "This isn't just about individual families, it's a looming demographic catastrophe that threatens India's economic growth and social stability. 4Continued on | P6 Newly-wed Indian-origin man shot dead in US PTI WASHINGTON A 29-year-old newly wedded Indian-origin man was shot dead in front of his wife in a suspected road rage incident in the US state of Indiana, police and media reports said. The incident happened when Gavin Dasaur was on his way home with his Mexican wife. Indianapolis Police Department (IMPD) Officer Amanda Hibschman said officers responded to a report of a person shot just after 8 pm on Tuesday last week at an intersection on Indy city's southeast side. Arriving officers said they found a man on the ground in the middle of the road suffering from at least one gunshot wound. The man's wife identified the shooting victim. two women alive They were protesting against road construction by their relative Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Two women were partially buried after murrum was dumped over them from a truck while they were protesting against road construction in Rewa district, police said on Sunday. A video of the incident that surfaced on social media showed two women sitting behind a truck laden with murrum, when suddenly the murrum was dumped on them. The incident occurred in Hinota Jorot village under Mangawa police station on Saturday, police said. Superintendent of Police Vivek Singh said this is a family dispute. The police have seized the dumper and the accused Vipin Pandey has been taken into custody by the police, while the search for two other accused is on. The women were also treated in the hospital, from where they have been discharged. The victims told the police that they were having dispute with her father-in-law Gaukaran Pandey regarding the road construction on shared land. On Saturday afternoon at around 2 pm Gaukaran Pandey and brother-in-law Vipin Pandey brought murrum in a dumper to build a road on a disputed land. Asha Pandey with her sister-in-law Mamta India had a prime meridian of its own much ahead of the Greenwich meridian and it was called "madhya rekha", which passed through the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, according to a new Class-6 NCERT textbook for social science. No mention of caste-based discrimination, tweaks in references to B R Ambedkar's experience about the discrimination, referring to the Harappan civilisation as "Sindhu-Sarasvati" are also among the changes in the textbook developed according to a new curriculum. "The Greenwich Meridian is not the first prime meridian. There were others in the past. In fact, many cen- turies before Europe, India had a prime meridian of its own! It was called madhya rekha (or 'middle line') and passed through the city of Ujjayini (today Ujjain), which was a reputed centre for astronomy over many centuries. "Varahamihira, a famous astronomer, lived and worked there some 1,500 years ago. Indian astronomers were aware of the Pandey resisted attempts by the driver to dump the murrum. When the truck driver did not listen to them, they sat behind the dumper where the murrum was being dumped. Meanwhile, the truck driver suddenly dumped the murrum, and the two women started getting buried. Then the villagers present on the spot took them out and took them to the hospital. 4Continued on | P6 Now, K’taka plans 70-hr week for techies Agencies NEW DELHI Amid a huge uproar over a bill that directed private firms in Karnataka to reserve jobs for Kannadigas, the state government is now planning to raise the IT staff's working hours to 14 per day, the Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) said on Saturday. According to the KITU, the proposal to amend the Karna- taka Shops and Commercial Establishment Act to facilitate a 14-hour working day was presented in a meeting called by the labour department with various stakeholders in the industry. If implemented, the extended working time -- 70 hours a week -- will have the biggest impact on Bengaluru, the state capital known as the IT hub of the country. The Chief Minister Siddaramaiah-led government has so far not said anything on the issue. "The proposed new bill 'Karnataka Shops and Commercial Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2024' attempts to normalize a 14-hour work day. The existing act only allows a maximum of 10 hours of work per day including overtime, which has been completely lifted in the current amendment. 4Continued on | P6 U’khand to give jobs to Agniveers in govt depts PTI DEHRADUN at guru’s feet On the occasion of Guru-purnima, Vishnuprapannacharya Ji Maharaj showered blessings on thousands of devotees at the city’s Venkatesh Temple. Ujjain was India’s prime meridian: NCERT book PTI PCC president Jitu Patwari said the incident is failure of the state in stopping crime against women in the state. When women were trying to save their land, the stalwart people tried to bury the women alive’. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has taken instructed the Rewa police to take strict action against the accused. He assured that the government’s priority is to secure women safety in the state and none of the lawbreakers will be spared. offgrid NEW DELHI Cong blames govt Take strict action: CM Ananad Shivre PTI NEW DELHI concepts of latitude and longitude, including the need for a zero or prime meridian. The Ujjayini meridian became a reference for calculations in all Indian astronomical texts," the textbook reads. In a departure from the past, the textbook makes multiple references to the "Sarasvati" river in the chapter pertaining to the be- ginning of the Indian civilisation. In the new textbook, the river finds a prominent place in a chapter on the "Beginnings of Indian Civilisation", where the Harappan civilisation is referred to as the "Indus-Sarasvati" or "Sindhu-Sarasvati" civilisation. 4Continued on | P6 Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Sunday the Agniveers of the state who return after serving the country will be accommodated in various departments of the state and a provision for reservation will also be made in this regard. The chief minister said during a programme here that after the Agniveer scheme was brought, he had a meeting with Army officers, former officers, soldiers and others. On June 15, 2022, he had announced on 'X' that his government will accommodate the Agniveers in various departments of the state, including police, and will give them priority, he added. He said that a provision for reservation will also be made for Agniveers. Dhami said that if required, a proposal to enact a law to accommodate Agniveers will also be brought in the Cabinet and placed in the assembly.