FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 247 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 19, 2025 | Pages 18 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: Sports MONEY Mandhana's majesty leads dominant win over Delhi P.17 BHOPAL Unemployment rate dips to 6.4% in Dec qtr NEW INITIATIVES | MSME Policy will create 86L job opportunities SEVEN NEW POLICIES APPROVED IN CABINET Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Ahead of GIS, the Cabinet approved seven new policies to create a favourable atmosphere for investment on Tuesday. They include MSME policy, Start-Up Policy and implementation plan, Electric Vehicle Policy, Township Policy, Aviation Policy etc. MSME POLICY S M E Policy w i l l create 86 lakh job opportunities. Investment target of Rs 53k crore has been set under the policy. 40pc subsidy will be given on investment in machinery and building. More importantly, subsidy will be given to women on investment in machinery. For entrepreneurs of SC/ST Women, subsidy of 48pc and 52pc will be given. The policy envisages to give subsidy to establish Industry of more than Rs 10 crore. A special package will be given M fp Briefs RIYADH US-Russia team for peace The top diplomats from Russia and the US met Tuesday in Saudi Arabia to discuss improving ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine talks that reflected a major and rapid change in American foreign policy under President Donald Trump. Washington said Russia and the United States will name teams to negotiate a path to ending the war in Ukraine as soon as possible, as the superpowers met on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia without Kyiv or the EU. to those investing in textile sector. Financial assistance will be give till five years on goods transportation. START-UP POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN he policy will p ro m o te Start-Ups and envisages to crossover certified start-up above 10k. A target has been set to create 1.10 lakh jobs. T EV POLICY T he policy envisages Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain as model EV cities. Within two years, 80pc government vehicles will be turned into EVs. As far as registration of e-vehicles is concerned, a rebate of 40pc will be given on registration of Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to hold talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky "if necessary", the Kremlin has confirmed. The announcement came as top Russian and US diplomats held meeting in Saudi Arabia with an aim to find an agreement to end the years-long war in Ukraine. T ASHOKA HOTEL TO BE GIVEN ON PPP MODEL he Cabinet took the decision to give Lake View Ashoka Hotel on Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. This will help the state government in getting profit of Rs 10 crore annually. Some conditions have been fixed by the government as far as Lake View Ashoka Hotel is concerned. A 100seater hall and modern rooms will be constructed. Provision has been made for exhibition to showcase state’s art and culture. Some more provisions have been made to give a new lease of life to the famous hotel. T At least 15pc houses shall be given to people of both categories. Out of gross area of township, 10pc has to be reserved for park. 4Continued on | P8 HC NOD TO UCC WASTE DISPOSAL TRIAL IN 3 PHASES Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Madhya Pradesh High Court’s principal bench in Jabalpur on Tuesday granted permission to the state government to conduct a trial incineration of Union Carbide Corporation (UCC) chemical waste in three phases, starting from February 27 at Pithampur. The government had submitted an affidavit along with a detailed blue- T he trial will involve incineration of 30 metric tonnes of UCC chemical waste in batches, with each phase focused on different incineration rates. FIRST PHASE, beginning on February 27, will see the disposal of waste at a rate of 135 kg per hour. SECOND PHASE, on print of its strategy and planning to the court, which was reviewed and approved. Advocate General Prashant Singh confirmed the filing of the government’s af- Foul play? Wildfire recurs in Kambamala forests PTI WAYANAD Putin open to talks with... two-wheelers, 100pc on commercial vehicles, 80pc on three-wheelers, 15pc on fourwheelers and 40pc for electric buses. There will be at least fast charging stations on a distance of 100 km each. Even charging stations will exist every one kilometre. The policy has been rolled out to promote use of electric vehicle to bring down pollution level in the state. The policy has been made for five years. INTEGRATED TOWNSHIP POLICY o encourage private inve stment in real est a t e through land pooling, the policy has been brought out by the government. Through this, the need of houses at rationalise price would be fulfilled. Land owners can develop township through land pooling. The policy comes with a rider that reservation for EWS and BPL category shall be taken care of. A day after a wildfire destroyed part of the grassland in the Kambamala forests in this hilly district, the fire recurred in the same hills near Mananthavady on Tuesday. This has led the Forest Department to suspect that it was not a "natural occurrence". Forest officials said nearly 10 hectares of grassland in the inner forest were destroyed by fire on Monday. The fire was brought under control by Forest and Fire Department officials after several hours of effort. 10 HECTARES March 4, will increase to 180 kg per hour, and the THIRD PHASE will ramp up the rate to 270 kg per hour. fidavit, which includes a compliance report detailing efforts to address public concerns. 4Continued on | P8 President nod to prosecute Satyendar Jain PTI NEW DELHI However, on Tuesday flames once again spread from the top of the same hill. In a video message, North Wayanad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Martin Lowell expressed suspicion over the incident, stating that the fire did not appear to be natural. President Droupadi Murmu has granted the sanction to prosecute AAP leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in a money-laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate, sources said on Tuesday. The sanction against the 60-year-old former Delhi health minister was sought under section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 of grassland in the inner forest were destroyed by fire on Monday PM to interact with ministers, MLAs Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have a two-hour discussion with Ministers and BJP MLAs at Kushabhau Thakre International Conven- tion Centre on the evening of February 23. This will be the first time the PM will interact with Ministers and MLAs. The discussion is likely to revolve around implementation of public welfare schemes at ground level in an effective manner, living up to public expectations and discharge of duties in an impressive manner. It will be the first time that PM will spend a night in Bhopal. He is going to have a night halt at Governor House. market entry Tesla begins hiring in country PTI NEW DELHI American electric carmaker Tesla has opened recruitments for various roles in India, including business operations analyst and customer support specialist, in what could be a precursor for the company's entry into the country. As per the job postings on the company's website, the posts are for the 'Mumbai Suburban' area. These roles include service advisor, parts advisor, service technician, service manager, sales & customer support, store manager, sales & customer support. Also, business operations analyst, customer support 4Continued on | P8 he hiring by Tesla in India comes close after the recent meeting of Elon Musk with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter's recent US visit. T UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit CEC naming raises doubts P.6 Cinema Radhika Apte’s mommy duties P.18 ‘Vomited dirt of his mind’ 7 KILLED AS TRUCK, PICKUP VAN COLLIDE IN BHIND Top Court’s strong rap & big relief for Allahbadia Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL In a road accident early Tuesday morning, seven people were killed and over 18 were injured when a pickup van collided with a high-speed truck on National Highway near Jawaharpura village in Bhind district. The victims, who were close relatives, were returning from a wedding ceremony when the tragedy took place. According to police, the collision took place between 5 and 6 am. The pickup van, which was parked on the side of the highway, was rammed from behind by a speeding dumper. The impact of the collision was severe, killing three people instantly and injuring several others. Four more victims succumbed to their injuries later at the hospital. The deceased have been identified as Arun (son of Kaushal Jatav), Guddi (wife of Kaushal Jatav), Pradyumna (son of Kashiram Jatav), Hemlata (wife of Pradyumna Jatav), and Rajkumari (daughter of Mahipal Jatav). 4Continued on | P8 PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday protected influencer Ranveer Allahbadia from arrest over his distasteful comments during a YouTube show while severely castigating him for the remarks it described as "showing a perverted mind". Several FIRs have been filed against Allahbadia, popularly known as BeerBiceps, for the comment on parents and sex on comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show "India's Got Latent". Why should we quash or club the FIRs against you?" asked Justice Surya Kant, who was on the bench along with Justice N Kotiswar Singh. However, the bench agreed to the submissions of senior advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, representing the influencer, that Allahbadia be protected from arrest keeping in mind the filing of multiple FIRs on the same issue as well as the death threats against him. "Are you defending the kind KEY TAKEAWAYS IF THIS IS NOT OBSCENITY, WHAT IS: A furious court at the outset berated Allahbadia for his "unacceptable comments" on the show and said, "... there is something dirty in his mind which has been vomited on the YouTube show." "The words you have used will make daughters, sisters, parents and even the society feel ashamed. It shows a perverted mind. If this is not obscenity, what is it? NO FURTHER FIRs: The bench directed that no further FIRs shall be lodged against him for his comments. NEW EPISODES: The top court also restrained Allahbadia and his associate influencers on the controversial YouTube show from airing any other episode till further orders. DEPOSIT PASSPORT: It directed Allahbadia to deposit his passport at the Thane police station and said he shall not leave the country without the prior permission of the court. As an officer of court, I personally am disgusted by what the petitioner has said but whether it rises to the level of a criminal offence is another question n Abhinav Chandrachud, Advocate representing Allahbadia of language he has used?" Justice Surya Kant asked Chandrachud, who conceded that he himself was "disgusted". 4Continued on | P8 Maha Kumbh has turned into Mrityu Kumbh: Mamata Aritra Singha KOLKATA Following the stampede in Maha Kumbh that claimed several lives and left many people injured, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that Maha Kumbh had become ‘Mrityu Kumbh’. Addressing the state Legislative Assembly, she slammed her Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath and men- tioned that there was ‘no planning’. “We make plans six months ahead of Gangasagar Mela. In UP there was no planning. Proper planning should have been made before propagat- ing the same. I respect Maha Kumbh and Ganga Maa. But it is not Maha Kumbh but Mrityu Kumbh. This is used to earn money. 4Continued on | P8