FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 39 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | JULY 23, 2024 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.com Sports I’m not going to make mistakes of Tokyo in Paris: Manika P.12 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE UJJAIN PRESS PUNE BHOPAL MONEY NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Presidential race heats up in the US P.8 AI may limit gowth in biz services, job creation: Survey Cinema Her support system P.14 ECONOMIC SURVEY 2024: Economy on a strong wicket and stable footing, says FM Sitharaman 6.5-7% growth projected in FY25 Agencies NEW DELHI Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2023/24 in Parliament Monday, a day before she will present a record seventh union budget, and described the Indian economy as being on a "strong wicket and stable footing" and resilient in the face of geopolitical challenges. "The Indian economy is on a strong wicket and stable footing (and) demonstrating resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. The economy has consolidated post-Covid recovery with policymakers - fiscal and monetary - ensuring economic and financial stability..." the report said. Sitharaman pointed out FY24 growth is an estimated 8.2 per cent with the economy crossing the eight per cent mark in three of four quarters, and said she expects momentum built over FY23 and FY24 to be carried into FY25, which is expected to see growth between 6.5 and 7 per cent. And "prospects for continued strong growth beyond FY25 look good... subject to fp Briefs NEW DELHI NEET-UG: SC directive to IIT Delhi The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Director, IIT-Delhi 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 and a set of examinees, who gave one particular answer out of the two correct ones, were awarded four marks. HYDERABAD Senior babu stirs row Amid the ongoing row over the controversial appointment of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar under the disability quota, senior bureaucrat in Telangana Smita Sabharwal courted controversy by questioning the need for reservation for differentlyabled people in the All India Services (AIS). GUWAHATI Former APSC head convicted A special court on Monday convicted former Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul and 31 others in connection with a cash-for-jobs case related to the appointment of agricultural development officers (ADO) in the state. geopolitical, financial market and climatic risks", the Finance Minister told the Lok Sabha. This was compared favourably to global economic growth of 3.2 per cent in 2023 (data from the World Economic Forum in April). "The stark difference in growth performance of countries has been on account of domestic structural issues (and) uneven exposure to geopolitical conflicts..." it said. Headline inflation - which the Reserve Bank expects at 4.5 per cent in FY25 and 4.1 per cent the following year - is "under control". This is given a normal monsoon and no external or policy shock The inflation rate of some food items, however, has elevated, the report said. Food inflation, which was 6.6 per cent in FY23, increased to 7.5 per cent in FY24, the report said. The increase was blamed on unfavourable weather conditions that restricted production. And the farmers faced challenges due to extreme weather events and depleted reservoirs, the report said. Retail inflation, which aver- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks in Lok Sabha during the first day of Parliament session, in New Delhi on Monday 6 key growth areas for Amrit Kaal First is a deliberate focus on boosting private investment. Second is growth and expansion of MSMEs, or Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises as a "strategic priority". Third is to recognise and harness the potential of agriculture as an engine of future growth and remove policy impediments. Fourth is a need to secure the financing of green transition in India. Fifth is the bridging of the education-employment gap. Sixth is focused building of state capacity and capability for sustaining and accelerating India's progress. IANS The Centre on Monday ruled out special status to Bihar, a long-standing demand by the state-based parties including BJP's key ally JD (U). The rejection of special status resulted in pointed jibes from Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) which also demanded the resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. The Centre’s response came on a question put by JD (U) MP Ramprit Mandal in Lok Sabha. The JD (U) had asked the Finance Ministry whether the government proposes to provide special status to Bihar and other most backward HIGHLIGHTS • GLOBAL GROWTH: 3.2% in 2023, impacted by domestic issues, geopolitical conflicts, and monetary tightening. • PERFORMANCE: Real GDP grew by 8.2% in FY24, maintaining strong momentum despite global challenges. • CAPITAL FORMATION: Rs 10.9 lakh crore raised in FY24, covering 29% of capital formation. • SECTOR TRANSFORMATION: Financial sector evolving with potential vulnerabilities; need for agile policy interventions. Stripped off depts, angry min threatens to resign • INFLATION TRENDS: Core inflation fell in FY24, with retail inflation driven down. RBI projects 4.5% inflation in FY25. My MP wife will also quit, warns Nagar Singh Chouhan • GLOBAL PRESSURES: Inflation affected by pandemic, geopolitical tensions & supply disruptions. BHOPAL • TRADE BALANCE: Merchandise imports moderated; services exports rose by 4.9% to $ 341.1 billion. 4Continued on | P6 No special status to Bihar, says Centre NEW DELHI aged 6.7 per cent in FY23, was brought down to 5.4 per cent in FY24 as a result of the government's "timely policy interventions and the RBI's price stability measures". This is the lowest level since the pandemic, the Economic Survey noted. The Economic Survey also highlighted the government's "thrust on capex and sustained momentum in private investment has boosted capital formation growth... by nine per cent in real terms in FY24". On fiscal balances, the Survey said "tax compliance gains driven by procedural reforms, expenditure restraint, and increasing digitisation" had helped offset "expansionary public investment". On the Current Account Deficit, the Survey said it stood at 0.7 per cent of GDP in FY24, a big improvement from the deficit of 2 per cent in FY23. "External balance has been pressured by subdued global demand for goods, but strong services exports largely counterbalanced this..." it said. Resign, says Lalu RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. "Centre has refused to give the special status to Bihar so Nitish Kumar should resign from his post. states to promote economic growth and industrialisation. Replying to the question, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary stated, "The Special Category Status for plan assistance was granted in the past by the National Development Council (NDC) to some States.” Navy’s INS Brahmaputra severely damaged in fire, sailor missing PTI MUMBAI/NEW DELHI An Indian Navy warship which was undergoing maintenance at the naval dockyard in Mumbai caught fire today. The navy said a junior sailor is missing and rescue teams are looking for him. All other personnel have been accounted for, the navy said. The fire broke out on board the multirole frigate INS Brahmaputra on Sunday evening while she was undergoing refit at the Mumbai naval dockyard, the navy said, adding the ship is lying on its side. "... The fire was brought under control by the ship's crew with assistance of firefighters from Naval Dockyard, Our Staff Reporter Minister of SC Department Nagar Singh Chouhan is annoyed after being stripped off the Forest and Environment Departments. Both these departments were given to newly inducted minister Ramniwas Rawat who switched over from the Congress to the ruling party before the Lok Sabha election. When Nagar became a minister, he was given Forest, Environment and SC Departments. On Sunday, Rawat was given two departments that Nagar was previously holding. As a result, an angry Nagar threatened to resign. In an interaction with media on Monday, Nagar said along with him it was an insult to the tribal people in the state. If he has been deprived of a department, because his wife has become an MP, she is also ready to resign, Nagar said. He is angry, especially because the department has been given to someone who has come to the ruling party from the Congress, Nagar said, adding that he has won election four times from Alirajpur. He further said that he did not seek a ticket for his wife, but the party had given it to her. Nagar said he had fought Calls wife back After being deprived of department, Nagar calls his wife back who was on her way to Delhi. The Parliament session began from Monday. To attend it, Nagar Singh Chouhan’s wife Anita Chouhan left Alirajpur for Indore from where she was supposed to go to Delhi. But after being deprived of two departments, he called back his wife from her way to the national capital. Called to Delhi Nagar Singh Chouhan’s anger drew the attention of the BJP high command in Delhi. When the party’s central leadership came to know of it, they called him to Delhi to convince him. Cops can’t force...: SC pauses Kanwar Yatra food stalls order Agencies NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday ordered an interim stay on the directives issued by BJPruled Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand asking eatery owners along the Kanwar Yatra routes to display the names of their owners, the staff and other details, a move the opposition has claimed is intended to promote religious discrimination. Issuing notice to the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, where the Ujjain municipal body has issued a similar di- rective, a bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti, however, said eateries may be required to display the kind of food they are serving like they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian. A large number of devotees travel from various places with 'kanwars' carrying holy water from the Ganga to perform 'jalabhishek' of Shivlings during the Hindu calendar month of 'Shravan'. Many believers shun consuming meat during the month they consider holy. The significant 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. 4Continued on | P6 ship started listing to one side. "Despite all efforts, the ship could not be brought to an upright position. The ship continued to list further alongside her berth and is presently resting on one side," the navy said. BJP, RSS hail decision to lift ban on RSS Ministers who defected from Cong corner ` 75K cr of budget NEW DELHI 4Continued on | P6 Mumbai and other ships in harbour, by [Monday] morning. Further, follow-on actions including sanitisation checks for assessment of residual risk of fire were carried out," the navy said in a statement. The navy said that subsequently, in the afternoon, the After Tulsi, Govind, Tomar, Kanshana, Uday Pratap, now it is Rawat who is a dominating figure in the cabinet The BJP and the RSS on Monday hailed the Centre's move to lift a ban on government employees from participating in activities of the Hindutva organisation, while opposition parties slammed the decision, alleging that it is aimed at politicising employees around an ideology. In a statement, the RSS said the revocation of the ban would strengthen the country's democratic system. The RSS accused previous governments, mostly headed by the Congress, of furthering their political interests by targeting the RSS. 4Continued on | P6 Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL The issue of allotting important departments to those who have come from the Congress raised by Nagar Singh Chouhan has kicked up a row in the ruling party. Those who defected from the Congress to the BJP along with Jyotiraditya Scindia in 2020 have been given important ministries in the cabinet. Those who have joined the BJP after quitting the Con- Rakesh Shukla is a cabinet minister. He has been given New and Renewable Energy Department, but he has the budget of Rs 64 crore. Dileep Jaiswal, who is looking after the Cottage and Village Industries Department as minister of state with independent charge, has the budget of Rs 153 crore. Gautam Tetwal is a minister of state of Skill Development Department with independent charge. The budget of this department is connected with the Technical Education Department. Narayan Singh Panwar is looking after the Fishermen’s Welfare Department which has the budget of Rs 230 crore. gress have the departments which have the total budget of Rs 75,000 crore. Ergo, the main fight is over Kuwait couple divorces within 3 mins of marriage A According to a report in the Metro, the groom called her stupid for falling over. Hearing this, the woman became angry and asked the judge to call their marriage off immediately. The judge agreed and issued an annulment just three minutes after marrying them. It's said to be the shortest marriage in the history of the nation. The incident took place in 2019 and is going viral again on social media. "I went to a wedding where the groom spent his speech making fun of his wife like it was some kind of roast, as did her father. She should have done what this woman did," a person wrote on X (formerly Twitter). One person wrote on the microblogging platform, "A marriage with no respect is a failed one right from the be- ginning". Another added: "If this is how he acts right at the beginning, it's better to leave him." In 2004, a couple in the United Kingdom filed for divorce after just 90 minutes of marriage. More than hour after Scott McKie and Victoria Anderson exchanged vows at the Stockport Register Office in Greater Manchester, the relationship ended. The woman was outraged by her husband's toast to her bridemaids and smacked him over the head with an ashtray at their reception. When police were called in, he hit one officers in the head and hit another in the face before spending the night in a prison cell while his wife celebrated her divorce by canceling their Corfu honeymoon. 4Continued on | P6 Plum allocation offgrid couple divorced just three minutes after being declared husband and wife after the groom insulted the bride as they were leaving the wedding ceremony, as per a report in Independent's Indy. After the formal proceedings concluded, the pair turned to move out of the courthouse, however, the bride tripped. the election with full might and won it, and would not tolerate such an insult. the budget allocated to various departments. 4Continued on | P6 SC begins NEET hearing PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Monday commenced hearing on a batch of petitions related to the controversy-ridden medical entrance exam, NEET-UG 2024. The top court was told by a counsel for NEET-UG aspirants that the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the prestigious exam, has admitted to paper leak and the dissemination of the 'leaked question paper' through WhatsApp.