Vol. 67 No. 252 | TUESDAY, JULY 23, 2024 | 25 Pages | `5 & for Pune `6 only Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK KONKAN E-paper GAMES NATION Modi for constructive participation of MPs, says Parliament is meant to serve people Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (Jan to Dec 2023) Cinema Tanuj on rejections, mistakes and more Gautam Gambhir says Virat Kohli and him will be on same page as India depart for SL tour Edit US Presidential race heats up DOCKYARD JINX | The fire was brought under control with assistance from other ships; a sailor is still missing On invitation Jayanta Roy Chowdhury A senior journalist based in New Delhi Splurge or consolidate T he night before the budget is possibly any finance minister’s most harrowing time. The hard work is all done by then. However, the doubts on whether the policy pronouncements which accompany the budget’s accounting will go down in history as transformational reforms or as fiscal disasters weighs heavily on the mindof the minister charged with presenting the document bound in red before Parliament. Luckily for Nirmala Sitharaman, India’s Finance Minister, she has many things going well for her. India’s economy grew by 8.2 per cent in 2023-24. The central Government’s tax revenue grew by a spanking 13.4 per cent. The Reserve Bank of India gifted her an unprecedented, all-time high dividend of Rs 2.1 lakh crore, while public sector enterprises gave away another whopping Rs 40,000 crore or so in record dividendpayout. It can well afford to splurge on a number of populist schemes in the run-up to elections to large states like Maharashtra. It can also decide to give a few tax breaks to the middle class, it's most consistent supporters through three general elections. However, PM Modi's FM can afford government has to splurge on tended to be cautious and opt for fiscal conpopulist schemes or give solidation,in a bid to show the world that a few tax India is a credible econbreaks to the omic giant and not a flash in the pan. middle class. The Union government’s fiscal deficit or the gap between its earnings and expenses has steadily fallen from 9.2 per cent of GDP in the year pandemic hit the world, that is 202021, to 5.6 per cent in 2023-24. The Interim Budget, presented in February, had forecast it to be 5.1 per cent for FY 2024-25. However, with the coffers full, the government is likely to try and better those numbers and show off a more impressive number, by squeezing the deficit to near or below 5 per cent. Yet Sitharaman’s team may well fret in the middle of plenty. The last election was a touch-and-go affair. Allies are no longer adjuncts to the BJP in the National Democratic. 4Contd on | nation Naval warship tilts, is lying on side after fire the Western Command in the last 10 years -- major fires, collisions and explosions onboard a fleet of warships and submarines in Mumbai Harbor. An explosion onboard INS Ranvir docked in Mumbai led to the death of three sailors; eleven others were injured in Jany 2022. Dharmesh Thakker MUMBAI A major fire on board frontline guided missile frigate INS Brahmaputra, which was undergoing maintenance and refit at Naval Dockyard on Friday night, has raised questions about safety protocols of the Indian Navy in the Mumbai harbour. A junior sailor is reported missing in the fire. After several hours of firefighting, the “Raging Rhino” indigenous warship commissioned in 2000 has tilted and is resting heavily on the port side of her berthing. The fire was brought under control with assistance of fire fighters from other ships and the dockyard fire brigade. A salvage team is 4Contd on | nation INS Brahmaputra making efforts to restore the upright position,” said a senior naval commander who was supervising the rescue efforts. The frigate with a crew of 40 officers and 330 sailors is equipped with anti-aircraft guns, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and torpedo launchers; covering all facets of FM tables Economic Survey in Parliament, says economy is growing well, momentum likely to continue A day before she is scheduled to present her record seventh Union Budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday tabled the Economic Survey for 2023-24 in Parliament. She said the document exemplifies that the “Indian economy is on a strong wicket and stable footing, demonstrating resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges”. The minister added that “the prospects for continued strong growth beyond FY25 look good ... subject to geopolitical, financial market and climatic risks". She also added that as per the survey, the economy has “consolidated post-Covid recovery with policymakers -- fiscal and monetary -- ensuring econ- PUNE Aishwarya Iyer In a hit-and-run accident in Mulund early on Monday, a luxury car collided with two autorickshaws, injuring the two drivers and passengers, respectively. The driver of the car, Vijay Dattatrey Gore, 43, a resident of Kanjurmarg, allegedly fled the scene after the accident, abandoning his Audi at the spot. After a prolonged search, cops tracked him down at his sister’s residence, where he had sought cover. The victims have been identified as Santosh Walkar, 49, and Vivek Jaiswal, 26, the drivers of the autos, and Prakash Jadhav, 46, and Hanumant Chavan, 57, who were the passengers. According to police, Jadhav works for BEST and lives in Thane, while Chavan works for the Railways; both men were on their way to work when the accident occurred. The incident occurred between 6.15 and 6.30am on Deendayal Upadhyay Marg in Mulund west. ■ It is fitted with antiaircraft guns, surfaceto-surface and surface-to-air missiles and torpedo launchers. SC stays UP diktat on yatra eateries FPJ News Service NEW DELHI Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Rohit Chandavarkar MUMBAI ■ INS Brahmaputra is among the first indigenously built 'Brahmaputra' classguided missile frigate. maritime warfare, it is capable of operating Seaking and Chetak helicopters. “All personnel have been accounted for, except one junior sailor, for whom the search is in progress. An inquiry has been ordered by the Indian Navy into the accident," said Indian Navy’s spokesperson. Several disasters have afflicted The Growth of Growth omic and financial stability.” Sitharaman said the growth in FY24 is estimated to be 8.2 per cent and during the fiscal, the economy had shown steady growth, crossing the 8 per cent mark in three of the four Audi driver in Pangs of anxiety over hit-&-run case Jarange-Patil’s 5th stir in Mulund 4Contd on | nation INDORE MUMBAI Maratha leader Manoj Jarange-Patil’s hunger agitation for the fifth time in the past 18 months is now giving the state government pangs of anxiety. Jarange-Patil’s stir, which now entered the fourth day, has become a raging issue in Marathwada, where the BJP lost badly in the recent Lok Sabha polls against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). On top of this, the counter agitation by OBC leaders Laxman Hake and Navnath Waghmare has created tension in Beed and Jalna districts. On Monday, Jarange-Patil spoke with the media, making it clear that he had nothing against the OBC community but remained firm on his demand that the reservation given to eligible Maratha candidates be extended to their families and distant relatives (‘sagesoyare’ in Marathi). “I think some political leaders are misquoting me. I have nothing against the OBC community. quarters. She said the momentum built over FY23 and FY24 is likely to continue into FY25 in which the growth is expected to be between 6.5 and 7 per cent. SC asks IIT to furnish correct NEET answer PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Director, IITDelhi, to set up a team of three experts that would go into a particular question asked in the NEET-UG 2024 examination and submit a report on the correct answer by Tuesday noon. The top court took note of the submissions of some aspirants that a question related to an "atom" and its characteristics had two correct answers. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an interim stay on the directives issued by BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand asking eatery owners along the Kanwar Yatra routes to display the names of their owners, the staff and other details. Issuing notice to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, where the Ujjain municipal body has issued a similar directive, a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti, however, said eateries may be required to display the kind of food they are serving -- vegetarian or nonvegetarian. A large number of devotees travel from various places with 'kanwars' carrying holy water Dheeraj Kumar “Food sellers may mention the kind of food they serve, but must not be forced to display names of owners, staff employed,” the bench said PTI A day after it came to light that the Centre had lifted a ban on government employees from participating in the activities of the Rahtriya Swayansevak Sangh, opposition parties slammed the decision while the RSS and the BJP hailed the move. Significantly, the move comes after repeated expressions of acrimony and unhappiness were voiced by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat over the results of the Lok Sabha elections, and the RSS mouthpiece Organiser calling for a reality check. The move also comes after BJP party President J P Nadda claimed that the party no longer needed the RSS, as had been the case before. The RSS said the revocation of the ban will strengthen the country's democratic system and accused previous governments, mostly headed by the Congress, of furthering their own political interests by targeting the Hindutva organisation. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation from the Ganga to perform 'jalabhishek' of Shivlings during 'Shravan' (July 22 to August 19) . Many believers don't consume meat during the month. The order comes amid an escalating row over the directives, with even BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) joining the chorus for their withdrawal and opposition parties resolving to raise the issue in Parliament. 4Contd on | nation Tailpiece offgrid Harris consolidates her hold in party FPJ News Service NEW YORK Vice President Kamala Harris is moving swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden stepped aside. Aiming to put weeks of intraparty drama over Biden's candidacy behind them, powerful leaders of the Democratic establishment too lost no time in embracing Harris. It is understood that at least six key governors have endorsed her, including Nancy Pelosi, though Barack Obama was still watching from the sidelines. Biden's departure frees up his delegates to vote for whomever they choose. Harris, whom Biden backed after ending his candidacy, is thus far the only declared candidate. If she's successful at locking up the nomination, she must also pick a running mate and pivot a massive political operation to boost her candidacy with just over 100 days until Election Day. On Sunday afternoon, Biden's campaign formally changed its name to Harris for President, reflecting that she is inheriting his political operation of more than 1,000 staffers and a war chest that stood at nearly $96 million at the end of June. Harris spent much of Sunday surrounded by family and staff, making more than 100 calls to 4Contd on | nation PATNA The Centre on Monday ruled out the possibility of grant of special category status to Bihar, prompting BJP’s major ally JD (U) to downplay it by saying that they still wanted the status for the state but if it was ‘technically’ not possible, a special package was also acceptable. RJD promptly jumped at the opportunity to attack Nitish and demand his resignation from the post of chief minister for his failure to procure the special status. Lalu told reporters, “Nitish Kumar had said he would ensure Bihar gets special status. He should now resign. We will get special status for Bihar at all costs. The Centre has to give special status to Bihar.” RJD commented in ‘X’, “Modi government has said in Parliament that Bihar will not get special status. Nitish Kumar and JD (U) can now comfortably enjoy power at the Centre and can also carry on with its hypocritical politics on special status.” The debate was ignited when Union minister of state for finance Pankaj Chaudhary informed an MP in a written reply that the possibility of grant of special status to Bihar was ruled out. A political analyst said that it was intriguing why the Modi government had flatly rejected Nitish’s demand for special status to Bihar when the support of JD (U) 12 MPs was important for the government`s stability. Only time will tell how it will impact the BJP-JD (U) relationship in future, he added. Oppn slams Centre for lifting ban on RSS babus NEW DELHI Special status for Bihar ruled out by Centre Must Army deal with hawkers, asks court Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI Irked by the inaction and fthe Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and police against illegal hawkers, the Bombay High Court remarked that the “entire state machinery has collapsed”, as it is unable to come up with a solution to the problem. The court also questioned whether such illegal vendors would be allowed to put up their stalls outside Mantralaya or the governor’s house. The court lamented that the issue of illegal hawkers and vendors was a recurring problem and there was a need to find a solution; the authorities could not merely express helplessness. “Those who want to abide by the law suffer. The entire state machinery has collapsed. Brazenly these unauthorised hawkers come. 4Contd on | nation