FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 255 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 27, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: Sports UJJAIN MONEY An Afghan woman watches the ICC Champions Trophy P.12 BHOPAL India needs tax buoyancy to achieve 6.5-7.0% growth: EY PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Rare Trump deal for rare earths P.6 Cinema Sanjay Dutt battles spirits P.14 78% teachers in state lack basic computer training Tina Khatri INDORE As India sets its sights on becoming a global leader in technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence (AI), the foundation of the country’s education system appears to be struggling. The recent “Unified District Information System For Education Plus (UDISE+) report has revealed critical gaps that may hinder the country’s ambitions in the digital realm. Alarmingly, nearly 78 per cent of teachers in Madhya Pradesh lack basic computer training, while a substantial percentage of teachers do not possess professional qualifications. These shortcomings raise serious concerns about how prepared the next generation is to harness the power of technology in a rapidly evolving world. Qualification crisis: Unqualified educators Even though urban areas like Bhopal and Indore are better off, over 14% of teachers in Madhya Pradesh lack professional qualifications. This results in students TECH-ED TROUBLE not receiving proper guidance, affecting their academic progress and development. Parent Varsha Sawlani expressed concern and said, “If our children are taught by unqualified educators, we’re compromising their future.” Without qualified teachers, students are less prepared for subjects crucial to future tech careers, like math and computer programming. DIGITAL DIVIDE: TEACHERS’ LACK COMPUTER SKILLS The UDISE+ report reveals that 78 per cent of teachers in Madhya Pradesh, both government and private, lack essential computer skills like typing, using software, and navigating digital resources. City Percentage of teachers lacking computer skills Indore Jabalpur Alirajpur 55 70 86 59 72 88 Shastri following path of Guru AF OUSTS ENGLAND FROM CHAMPIONS TROPHY Nanak, Ravidas, Kabir: Murmu J Bhopal Ujjain Hasan Zaidi 4Continued on | P8 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL/ CHHATARPUR Universal pension scheme for all Indians in the work President Droupadi Murmu with Governor Mangubhai Patel, CM Mohan Yadav and Dhirendra Shastri during a mass wedding function at Bageshwar Dham, in Chhatarpur Mass wedding putting an end to casteism: CM Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said mass wedding functions are putting an end to casteism. Casteism creates rifts among people, and a discrepancy like some people should ride a horse and others should not prevails in the society, Yadav said. Shastri brought in horses for bridegrooms to end this discrepancy, Yadav said. 4Continued on | P8 Centre opposes lifetime ban on convicted lawmakers Online Report PTI NEW DELHI NEW DELHI The government is working on a 'universal pension scheme' that will be available to all citizens, including those in the unorganised sector, Labour Ministry sources said on Wednesday. At present, those in the unorganised sector - such as construction workers, domestic staff, and gig workers - don't have access to governmentrun large savings schemes. The scheme will also be open to all salaried employees and the self-employed too. However, a crucial distinction between this new proposal and existing schemes, like the Employee Provident Fund Organisation, is that contributions for the former will be on The Centre has opposed in the Supreme Court a plea seeking life ban on convicted politicians, saying imposing such a disqualification was solely within the domain of Parliament. In an affidavit filed in court, 4Continued on | P8 In the presence of Murmu, 251 couples walked the aisles, and she gave gifts to three couples. Out of 251 girls, 108 belonged to tribal community. the Centre said the prayer in a plea, seeking the same, amounted to re-writing of the statute or directing Parliament to frame a law in a particular manner which was wholly beyond the powers of judicial review. "The question whether a life-time ban would be appropriate or not is a question that is solely within the domain of the parliament," the affidavit said. By confining the operation of penalty to an appropriate length of time, deterrence was ensured while undue harshness was avoided, it added. 4Continued on | P8 ‘Bangladesh Won’t oppose Hindi if you don’t impose it: Stalin minorities not India's concern’ PTI CHENNAI The DMK will not oppose Hindi if it is not "imposed" on Tamil Nadu and forcing the language on Tamils amounts to playing with their self-respect, state Chief Minister and the ruling party's president M K Stalin said on Wednesday. In a letter to partymen on the issue of alleged Hindi imposition, Stalin said selfrespect was Tamils' 'unique' nature. "For those asking why DMK still opposes Hindi, my humble response to them as one among you is--because you still impose it on us." "We won't oppose if you don't impose; won't blacken ‘Fighting like KG students’ Online Report Hindi words in Tamil Nadu. Self-respect is Tamils' unique charecteristic and we will not allow anyone, whoever it is, to play with it," he asserted. Bangladesh has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining strong ties with India based on mutual respect and shared interests, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Monday. He also asserted that incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh should not be a concern for India. His remarks came in response to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's recent concerns over attacks on minorities in Bangladesh and accusations that Dhaka was blaming New Delhi for its internal issues. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Actor-politician Vijay, founder of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam, on Wednesday ridiculed the BJP and DMK for waging a hashtag war on social media 'X' and said the two parties were fighting like kindergarten kids, trivialising the serious issue of language row Trump’s gold card Pay $5 million, get US citizenship AP WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he plans to offer a "gold card" visa with a path to citizenship for USD5 million, replacing a 35year-old visa for investors. "They'll be wealthy and they'll be successful, and they'll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it's going to be extremely successful," Trump said in the Oval Office. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the "Trump Gold Card" would replace EB-5 visas in two weeks. EB-5s were created by Congress in 1990 to generate foreign investment and are available to people who spend about USD1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people. Lutnick said the gold card - actually a green card, or permanent legal residency would raise the price of admission for investors and do away with fraud and "nonsense" that he said characterize the EB-5 program. Like other green cards, it would include a path to citizenship. About 8,000 people obtained investor visas in the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2022, according to the Homeland Security Department's most recent Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. The Congressional Research Service reported in 2021 that EB-5 visas pose risks of fraud, including verification that funds were obtained legally. 4Continued on | P8 oe Root smashed a fine century under difficult circumstances but could not stop England's elimination from the Champions Trophy following a shock eight-run loss to Afghanistan here on Wednesday. Thanks to Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran's 177 runs, his highest oneday total, the team scored a massive 325/7 but despite Root's 111ball 120, England missed the target. Azmatullah Omarzai emerged the hero for Afghanistan, returning excellent figures of 5 for 58 and grabbing the crucial wicket of Root. SEE SPORTS PAGE Donation boxes of temples should be open to daughters of poor: Bageshwar Dham Sarkar President Droupadi Murmu has said the saints, like Guru Nanak Devji, Sant Ravidas, Kabirdas, and Meerabai, gave the message of removing the barriers of untouchability and commit a proper place to women. Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham is carrying forward of the torch of these saints, Murmu said at the mass wedding ceremony held in Bageshwar Dham in Chhatarpur on Wednesday. Mandla HORROR | Crime spot is merely 100m from police station Pune woman raped inside MSRTC bus PTI PUNE A man with a criminal record allegedly raped a 26-year-old woman inside a stationary state transport bus at the busy Swargate bus stand in the city, police said on Wednesday, adding that multiple teams are looking for the accused who is on the run. The incident which took place on Tuesday morning drew sharp reactions from Opposition leaders who blamed the Home Department held by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for failing to deal with the rising crime in the Pune region. Dattatraya Ramdas Gade (36), the suspect, had cases of theft and chain snatching registered against him, said a Swargate police station official. Swargate is one of the largest bus junctions of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). According to the woman, as she was waiting for a bus for Phaltan in Satara district at one of the platforms around 5.45 am on Tuesday, a man approached her and engaged her in conversation, calling her `Didi' (sister), and said the bus for Satara had arrived at another platform. He then took her to an empty `Shiv Shahi' AC bus parked elsewhere on the sprawling station premises. As the lights inside the bus were not on, she hesitated to get in at first, but the man convinced her that it was the right bus. She could board the bus and look for herself using a torch, he told her. He then followed her inside and raped her before fleeing, the woman told police. Police identified the accused Gade from CCTV footage, and multiple teams have been formed to track him down, the official said. Deputy Commissioner of Police Smartana Patil told reporters later that CCTV footage showed the woman walking towards the bus with the accused. 4Continued on | P8