FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLI No. 94 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 INDORE UJJAIN MONEY PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema Quality over quantity P.14 IIT-I’s AI-ML drones to boost infra safety INDORE THE PROJECT TEAM Congress digs up more dirt Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI The Congress on Tuesday continued with its campaign to seek the ouster of Stock and Exchanges Board of India chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch by alleging that there was a conflict of interest in her relations with a consultancy firm, Agora Advisory Private Limited, in which she held a 99 per cent stake. At a press conference, Congress in-charge of media and publicity Pawan Khera alleged that this consultancy firm was still providing services and was not dormant as had been claimed by Buch upon taking up the top job at SEBI. He said the firm provided services to major companies, including the Mahindra and Mahindra Group, Dr. Reddy’s and ICICI. 4Continued on | P6 Indian Institute of Technology Indore has developed a cutting-edge system that integrates Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to inspect and detect anomalies in structures, especially in difficult-to-reach areas. This innovative system uses AIML technology to identify and classify cracks and other anomalies in structures such as high-tension wires, buildings, and roads in real-time. Traditional inspection methods often struggle with accurately detecting these issues, particularly in complex environments. The project is led by Prof Abhirup Datta, along with a student Kumar Sheshank Shekhar and PhD scholar Harsha Avinash Tanti. IIT Indore director Prof Suhas Joshi said, “This re- search work has made a significant breakthrough in the field of structural inspection and surveillance. It has gained significant attention from experts, recognising its potential to advance inspection technology. As this system continues to be refined and applied, it is likely to have a significant impact on infrastructure monitoring and maintenance. 4Continued on | P6 MAJOR POLICY SHIFT: CM decides after demands by ministers Instead of PSs, ministers to head boards, corps Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has taken a major decision on the demands of his ministerial colleagues. Now, instead of the principal secretaries, the ministers will head the corporations and boards. After taking over as Chief Minister, Yadav stopped all the political appointments in February. A few ministers were made in-charges of corporations and boards. Similarly, a few principal secretaries were also made in-charges of such government institutions. According to Minister for Urban Development Department Kailash Vijayavargiya, the Chief Minister has decided to appoint ministers as chairmen of corporations and boards instead of the principal secretaries. Vijayvargiya said that the charge of the housing board would be with him. Those ministers who were not made the chairmen were reportedly angry. Among the ministers Kailash Vijayvargiya, Prahlad Patel, Govind Singh Rajput, and Dharmendra Lodhi are in-charges of the departments where principal secretaries were appointed chairmen. According to sources, the ministers raised the issue before the Chief Minister that as they are the ministers of the departments, the charge of the corporations and boards should be with them. In 2020, an order was issued saying that when there would be vacancies in corporations and boards, the in-charge ministers will hold the position of the chairman of those organisations. Political appointments may be delayed As ministers have been given charge of the corporations and boards, the political appointments may be delayed. The BJP was doing exercises for political appointments. The decision, taken at an informal meeting of the cabinet members, indicates that such appointments may be delayed for some time. Doctors’ protest on despite SC deadline STATE WANTS CENTRE TO INCREASE SOYBEAN MSP Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The state government has decided to urge the Centre to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of soybean from the present Rs 4,000 to Rs 4,800 per quintal. Government took this decision in this regard during cabinet meeting on Tuesday. The CM, who has taken the initiative, wants to provide better price to the farmers for their produce in the state. The farmers of the state are unhappy over the prevailing MSP. In the meantime, while speaking to media persons, Union Agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that Modi government is profarmer government and will do everything to help farmers. “We will purchase soybean of farmers on MSP. It is the commitment of Modi government to give full price to farmer’s sweat and there is a scheme in this regard. Maharashtra, Karnataka have sought the permission of soybean purchase and under the scheme, permission to purchase soybean has been given to them,” he told. 4Continued on | P6 Praise and brickbats Prant Prachar Pramukh, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Rahul Dhoot welcomed the cabinet decision. He said that this decision is going to benefit farmers. When government will procure soybean on MSP then soybean will get sold at higher rates in open market as well. However, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar said currently MSP of Soybean is Rs 4,892. This means government is trying to push farmers in more loss (by requesting centre to increase MSP to Rs 4,800 per quintal). KOLKATA Despite Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee waiting to meet the delegation of the protesting doctors at the state secretariat Nabanna, the protesting doctors didn’t visit the state secretariat. A protesting doctor stated that they didn’t get any communication from Nabanna but had received an email from the Health Secretary which they feel is an ‘insult’. “We are always open to discussions but the way the email was written is insulting. We will think of visiting Nabanna if the communication is done in a healthier way. In the mail it was written ‘Respected Sir’. We would like to state that even women are there in the protest. A delegation of only 10 members was allowed. But if we go, we will discuss with all the hospitals and then decide upon the meeting,” said one of the protesting doctors. On the other hand, Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that the Chief Minister had waited in the secretariat till 7:30 pm to meet the delegation of the protesting doctors. “A mail was sent at 6:10 pm asking a 10 members delegation to visit Nabanna to discuss their issues with the Chief Minister but no reply was given to that mail,” added Bhattacharya. Notably, countering the Supreme Court’s order that the protesting doctors should resume their work by 5 pm on Tuesday. 4Continued on | P6 Retired Special DGP Vijay Yadav is new CIC IAF officer files rape charges against senior Our Staff Reporter Aritra Singha Says was forced into oral sex BHOPAL Retired Special DGP Vijay Yadav has been appointed as Chief Information Commissioner on Tuesday. His appointment was done by the Selection Committee during the meeting held at Mantralaya on Tuesday. In the meantime, Umashankar Pachauri (educationist), Vandana Gandhi (Social worker) and Omkar Nath (retired judge) were selected as Information Commissioner. The meeting was chaired by CM Mohan Yadav, LoP Umang Singar and PHE Minister Sampatiya Uikey were also there. Various posts of Information Commission were lying vacant from long time. 40 hurt in attempted march to Raj Bhavan Curfew imposed, Internet snapped for 5 days PTI IMPHAL Over 40 students were injured on Tuesday following clashes with security forces when they attempted to march towards the Raj Bhavan in Imphal to press for their demands to remove the DGP and security advisor to the state government, police said. Thousands of students and women demonstrators tried to march towards the Raj Bhavan on BT Road here, but were stopped by security forces near the Congress Bhavan, they said. The agitators shouted slogans and pelted security personnel with stones and glass marble balls, forcing the men in uniform to fire tear gas shells to disperse them, a police officer said. Manipur University students also staged a protest rally and burnt the effigy of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. They later headed for the state secretariat, but were stopped at Kakwa in Imphal West district, he said. The students have been demanding the removal of the DGP and security advisor to the state government for their alleged inability to deal with the law and order situation in Manipur. Agencies SRINAGAR A woman flying officer in the Indian Air Force has filed a police complaint, accusing a Wing Commander of rape. Based on the complaint, an FIR has been filed at Budgam police station in Jammu and Kashmir. Both officers are based in Srinagar. The Indian Air Force has said they are cooperating with authorities. "We are aware of the case. Local police station Budgam has approached the Indian Air Force in Srinagar in this matter and we are fully cooperating with the local authorities," the IAF told NDTV. The flying officer has said in her complaint that she has E-paper Edit Doctors can’t forget duty P.8 PM asks automakers to bring best global practices to India Our Staff Reporter MUMBAI been suffering harassment, sexual assault and mental torture over the past two years. The officer has said that at a New Year party at the officers' mess on December 31, 2023, her senior asked if she had received the gift. When she said she had not, the Wing Commander said the gifts were in his room and took her there. When she asked where his family was, he said they were elsewhere. The flying officer has alleged that her senior forced her into oral sex and molested her. "I repeatedly asked him to stop doing it and tried to resist it in all ways possible. Finally, I pushed him and ran away. He said that we would meet me on Friday again when his family leaves," she has said. 4Continued on | P6 Prez in Ujjain, Indore on Sept 18-19 Our Staff Reporter Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL National dairy board to manage state milk coops BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that President Droupadi Murmu is going to visit Ujjain and Indore on September 18 and September 19. She will perform Bhumi Poojan of Ujjain-Indore six lane road and will attend the programme of Devi Ahilya University. He was informal interacting with ministers before cabinet meeting at Mantralaya on Tuesday. He also said that “Swachtha Hi Sewa” will be launched to mark the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17 and will continue till October 2. 4Continued on | P6 The management and operation of Madhya Pradesh State Cooperative Dairy Federation and Milk Federations affiliated to it will be done by National Dairy Development Board for next five years. A consensus evolved in this regard during the review meeting of Sanchi Milk Federation, Dairy Development Scheme in Madhya Pradesh, over how to increase milk production etc held at Mantralaya on Tuesday. Chairing the meeting, CM Mohan Yadav said that necessary permission will be sought and lawful action will be taken over the aforesaid subject. If necessary then amendment will be done in the cooperative act. He said that to make state as pioneering in milk production and to increase the income of farmers and people rearing the cattle, a consen- Rahul steps into a political minefield Comment on Sikhs’ identity being under threat raises BJP hackles PS SHIFTED The charge of PS Animal Husbandry was taken from Gulshan Bamra and given to E Ramesh after Bamra had objected on some issues during the meeting and expressed his reservation. Bamra’s comments during the meeting appears to have irked the government sus was developed to give the responsibility to National Dairy Development Board. As of now, Madhya Pradesh is on third position in milk production in the country. Every day, 5.5 crores liter milk is being produced in the state. 4Continued on | P6 Man with ‘big heart’ stoned to death Our Staff Reporter INDORE/MHOW turban,” he asked. “The fight is about whether a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India or a kada. Or he, as a Sikh, is going to be able to go to a gurdwara. That's what the fight is about. And not just for him, for all religions,” said the Congress leader. "...So, for the RSS, Tamil, Marathi, Bengali, Manipuri -these are all inferior languages. That's what the fight is about," Gandhi said, asserting that these issues end up in the polling booth, the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha. Prakash Dodiya used to often claim of a ‘big heart’. No one took it seriously till he was killed in a brawl and subsequent post-mortem revealed that his claim was true literally. "He had a heart weighing 1,125 grams, which is significantly large," said Dr Bharat Vajpayee, forensic expert at District Hospital. "I have conducted thousands of post-mortems. This is the third instance in my career where I’ve examined a body with such a large heart. It’s the biggest heart I’ve ever encountered," Vajpayee added. Normally, a person’s heart weighs between 300 and 350 grams. The city has reported two previous cases of individuals with large hearts. Two years ago, Delhi businessman Manoj Agrawal died on a flight. Post-mortem revealed that his heart weighed 550 grams. Similarly, a young man with a 550-gram heart passed away a few months ago. 4Continued on | P6 4Continued on | P6 Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has stepped into a political minefield by accusing the RSS of considering some religions, languages and communities as being inferior to others and said that the fight in India is about this and not about politics. The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha was addressing a gathering of several hundred Indian Americans in Virginia. In this context, Rahul made a pointed reference to the Sikhs which elicited a sharp response from the BJP for making baseless, falsified and unfounded statements and floating a “dangerous narrative”. ‘‘First of all, you have to understand what the fight is about. The fight is not about politics. That is superficial,” Gandhi said as he asked one of the Sikh attendees in the front rows to give his name. “What is your name, brother with the CM said after Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh is the pioneering state in milk production Man, 2 sisters killed in Kedarnath FP News Service DHAR A landslide was reported on Monday evening on Kedarnath Yatra route in Uttarakhand, killing five pilgrims, including a man and his two sisters from Sardarpur tehsil of Dhar district. The deceased trio, identified as Gopal Bagdiram (50), Durga Bai Khapar (50) and Saman Bai (50), were part of a group of 40 pilgrims from Dhar who had embarked on the Kedarnath Yatra by bus. Durga’s husband, Chhaganlal and others were seriously injured. The landslide, triggered by heavy rains, occurred on the Kedarnath walking path near Gaurikund, half a kilometre ahead of Sonprayag. The pilgrims were caught off guard as they were walking on the footpath and the landslide buried them under debris. The SDRF team worked tirelessly to re- SAMAN BAI Sports Virat is Australian in thoughts and action: Smith P.12 EDITIONS: PRESS DURGA BAI www.freepressjournal.in iii QUALITY @ VALUE GOPAL BAGDIRAM FREE ESTD-1983 move the bodies from the debris on Tuesday morning. Apart from the trio, two other pilgrims, Bharat Bhai Niralal (52) from Surat, Gujarat and Titli Devi Mandal (70) from Dhanwa, Nepal, also lost their lives in the accident. 4Continued on | P6 offgrid Jackal terror in Sehore, five injured FP News Service SEHORE Madhya Pradesh is grappling with the terror of jackals. A jackal attacked and injured five people at different places in Sagunia and Genhukheda villages in Rehti tehsil of Sehore district on Monday, official sources said. All those people, severely injured in the attack, are undergoing treatment at the community health centre in Rehti. In one incident, a jackal had attacked five people in Salkanpur, resulting in serious injuries to two people. The terrifying moment was captured on CCTV, which showed the jackal lunging at the two men while they were sitting on the roadside in the Sagunia Panchayat in Rehti tehsil. This attack comes in the heal of wolf attack in Khandwa They tried to scare the jackal away by throwing stones at the animal, but failed. Then one of them grabbed the jackal and tossed it about 15 feet away, the video showed. The two injured men Shyam Yadav and Narmada Prasad - are under treatment at the Narmadapuram District Hospital. The residents of the vil- lages where the incident occurred are living in fear. They have stopped venturing out of their houses after sunset. Many residents now carry sticks when leaving their homes, hoping to defend themselves in case of another attack. Local authorities have urged residents to remain cautious and avoid venturing out alone. 4Continued on | P6