FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLI No. 315 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | APRIL 23, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in EDITIONS: INDORE Sports iii QUALITY @ VALUE UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL MONEY Raghunathan to lead Indian charge ... P.15 PRESS ESTD-1983 India less susceptible to external headwinds: RBI NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper INCLUDING TRANSPORTATION Edit Tribute to a humble Pope P.6 Cinema Sustainable living push P.16 Maximum 200 couples to tie knot under govt scheme Cabinet decision comes in the wake of complaints about fake cases Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The state government has changed the rules for Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivah Yojna and Nikah Yojna after receiving complaints about these schemes. A minimum of 11 couples and a maximum of 200 will tie the knot at a single mass wedding ceremony. The cabinet took the decision on Tuesday. The cabinet has also decided that only those young girls and boys whose parents live below the poverty line (BPL) will get the benefits of these two schemes. The cabinet has also made BPL portal verification mandatory for getting benefits under the schemes. The government will issue MUKHYAMANTRI KANYA VIVAH YOJNA an annual calendar for mass wedding ceremonies, and the administration will organise the functions according to the dates mentioned in the calendar. The civic bodies will scrutinise the applications of the young men and women who wish to tie the knot. KYC of the couples must be available on the Samagra Portal. Social welfare organisations will be part of the wedding ceremonies, the cabinet said. The government will take the help of those who are well-established and prosperous for organising the wedding ceremonies, the cabinet said. The government provides Rs 55,000 under Kanya Vivah Yojna. Out of the amount, it gives Rs 49,000 to a girl and spends Rs 6,000 on the wedding function. Rs 145 cr sanctioned for tiger reserve buffer zone The cabinet has principally sanctioned Rs 145 crore for the development of the buffer zone around the tiger reserve. The government will use the money for various projects in the buffer zone, which is highly sensitive. As part of the programme, the government will put up chain link and do fencing around the area. The government plans to protect wildlife and deal with the incidents of fire besides developing water sources. The health of wild animals will be regularly examined, and the citizens will be imparted training in skill development. TARGET KASHMIR | Hit comes as US Vice President is visiting, the tourist season is picking up. It pierces the claims that normalcy has returned to the region 27 die in terror attack M Saleem Pandit PAHALGAM (J&K), Terrorists opened fire on tourists at a famed meadow at Baisaran near Kashmir's Pahalgam town on Tuesday afternoon killing 27 people in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. The toll could go higher. The dead included two foreigners and two locals, a high ranking official said. It comes even as US Vice President J D Vance is visiting India and just as the tourist and trekking season is picking up momentum, took place around 3 pm, officials said. It also comes ahead of the Amarnath Yatra. Baisaran, about six kilometres from the resort town of Pahalgam, is an expansive meadow ringed by dense pine forests and mountains and a favourite with visitors from across the country and the world. The remote area is close to the Amarnath Yatra base camp. Armed terrorists came into the grassland, referred to as 'mini Switzerland', and started firing at tourists milling around eateries, taking pony rides or just picnicking, officials and eyewitnesses said. NEW DELHI Gold breaches Rs 1 lakh-mark Gold prices surged by Rs 1,800 to zoom past the crucial Rs 1 lakh-mark for 10 grams in the national capital on Tuesday amid buying rush by local jewellers and stockists in anticipation of increased demand during Akshaya Tritiya and wedding season even as global macroeconomic uncertainties continued to fuel safe-haven chase. The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity climbed Rs 1,800 per 10 grams. PM cuts visit short Our Staff Reporter Indorean too killed Our Staff Reporter INDORE 4Trump, Putin, Vance condemn attack | P8 Taiba (LeT) terror group, claimed responsibility for the attack. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is in Saudi Arabia asked Home Minister to rush to Kashmir. 4Continued on | P8 US wants full access for Walmart, Amazon FP News Service The Nathaniel family from B68 Veena Nagar, MR 10 under Hiran Nagar police station lost a senior member of their family, Sushil Nathaniel, in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. In an conversation with Free Press, Sushil’s brother, Vikas Kumrawat, revealed the harrowing details of the incident. He stated that the terrorists first forced Sushil to kneel and then compelled him to recite the Kalma. When Sushil identified himself as a Christian, the terrorists opened fire, Transfer policy to be announced in next Cabinet meeting: CM Our Staff Reporter MUMBAI BHOPAL US President Donald Trump's administration is preparing to press Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for full access to the country’s booming $125 billion e-commerce market for American giants Amazon and Walmart. The demand, revealed in a Financial Times (FT) report on Tuesday, marks a key point of contention in ongoing trade negotiations between the world’s largest and oldest democracies. Adding political heft to this pressure campaign, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said in Jaipur on Tuesday that the Trump administration sought trade partners on the basis of fairness and shared national interest. "We are especially excited to formally announce that America and India have officially finalised the terms of reference for the trade negotiation. I think this is a vital step towards realising President Trump's and PM Modi's vision, because it sets a roadmap towards a final deal between our nations. I believe there is much that America and India can accomplish together," he said.“We want to build relationships with countries that respect their workers and the value of their labour— not those who game the system by propping up national champions at the expense of foreign participants.” Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said the government will announce its transfer policy in the next cabinet meeting. The government would carry out transfers from May 1 to 31.The state government lifted the ban on transfers for the last time in October 2022. The state government recently gave powers to transfer officials in the event of serious illness and court cases. The other cases of transfers go to the chief minister.  The ministers have been demanding the lifting of the ban on transfers for a long time. The government has not completely lifted the ban on transfers after Yadav took over as the CM. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 killing him on the spot. His daughter was also shot during the attack and sustained a bullet injury to her leg. Before confronting the attackers, Sushil managed to hide his wife, potentially saving her life.Sushil was employed with the LIC branch in Alirajpur. Sushil was reportedly questioned about his religion before being executed.His brother Vikas said that Sushil along with his family went to Pahalgam on a few days tour, this was not expected at all to happen. 4Continued on | P8 PTI LUCKNOW British Labour Party leader and Member of Parliament Navendu Mishra, who represents Stockport in the United Kingdom Parliament, got married in a traditional Indian ceremony held in Lucknow. The 36-year-old MP of Indian origin married Garima Tiwari, a native of Bhopal, in a wedding that reflected his attachment to his cultural heri- Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL More than 30 candidates from Madhya Pradesh have cleared Civil Services Exam 2024. The UPSC CSE final result was declared on Tuesday afternoon. Aayushi Bansal from Gwalior secured 7th rank and topped in the state. Earlier, Aayushi Aayushi Bansal he secured the top rank in CA examination. His father Rakesh Agarwal is a businessman. Romil Dwivedi who hails from Rewa has got 27th rank. His father KK Dwivedi is a joint Commissioner in the Cooperatives Department. Last year he was selected for Indian Railway Service. Rishabh Chaudhary from Mandsaur and Kshitij Aditya Sharma from Bhopal secured 28th and 58th ranks respectively. Besides, Ashish Raghuvanshi (202nd rank), Divyanshi Agarwal (249th rank), Swarnim Chaudhary (258th rank) , Yugansh Bhatnagar Deceased include 5 sisters Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Eight members of a family were killed and six others were injured when their vehicle fell off the bridge onto a dry river bed under Nohata police station at about 10 am on Tuesday, said Damoh police. The incident occurred when the driver of a vehicle carrying 15 passengers lost control on wheels near Sunar River bridge near Simri village. Damoh SP Shrut Kirti Somvanshi said the passengers were residents of Jabal- pur district. Among the deceased were five sisters from the same family along with a niece and a grandson. He added that six occupants of the vehicle died on the spot while two children, aged eight and ten, succumbed to injuries at Damoh District Hospital. The remaining injured passengers were treated in Damoh before being transported to Jabalpur Medical College through a specially arranged green corridor to ensure swift medical care. The family members told police that after attending a marriage function, they visited Jageshwar Dham. While returning from there, they met with accident. tage. All the rituals -- from 'haldi' and 'mehendi' to the wedding itself -- were performed in accordance with Sanatan traditions. Mishra was seen wholeheartedly participating in every ritual and stood out for his gesture of seeking blessings from elders by touching their feet at every occasion. Mishra, who was re-elected as an MP from Stockport in July 2024 after first winning in 2019, was born in Kanpur in the UK with his parents at the age of four, but despite growing up and settling abroad, he has remained deeply connected to his Indian roots. He frequently visited India to meet his relatives and chose to hold his wedding here. Speaking to PTI, Mishra said, "I am proud of my traditions, and I am beginning this new chapter of life in line with those values." 1989. His maternal family hails from Gorakhpur. He moved to 4Continued on | P8 DEO suspended for ignoring Jan Sunwai LIMITLESS Charge handed over to joint collector Our Staff Reporter INDORE In a decisive move, divisional commissioner Deepak Singh has suspended district education officer (DEO) Sushma Vaishya with immediate effect. IPS officer Aayushi tops MP, Kshitij AIR 58 had secured 97th rank in UPSC-2023 and 188th rank in 2022. At present, she is a Karnataka-cadre IPS officer. Her parents worked in LIC. Her father died when she was 9. After schooling, she came to Delhi to prepare for IIT entrance. After graduating from IIT-Kanpur, she worked for McKenzie. She quit in 2022 and started preparing for UPSC CSE. Madhav Agarwal from Gwalior secured 16th rank. He is undergoing IPS training in Hyderabad. In the year 2019, Two people including a 74-year-old woman tested COVID-19 positive in the city. Of the two, the elderly woman has died, health officials said on Tuesday. The officials said that the woman had been admitted to a city hospital due to some kidney-related problem and sepsis and she later tested positive for COVID-19.  The woman, a resident of Nanda Nagar area, was admitted to the hospital on April 19 and she died during treatment late Monday night. She was suffering from cough, cold and fever for a few days. According to chief medical and health officer Dr BS Saitya, the 74-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man from Dewas  have been tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday evening The other patient’s health condition is stated to be stable.  UK MP ties knot with Bhopal woman offgrid 30 from MP clear Civil Services Exam 8 of family killed as vehicle plunges into dry river in Damoh INDORE Prime Minister Modi cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and was to leave Jeddah on Tuesday night. There were reports he had skipped some of the official engagements. He is to chair the cabinet meeting on security on Wednesday morning. At least 20 people were injured in the strike. Some put the number of attackers at five. As gunshots rang out, there was panic and tourists ran for cover but there was no place to hide in the wide, open space, said another woman tourist. A woman said terrorists first asked the name before shooting down the victims. Some of the injured were brought down from the meadow by local people on their ponies. Pahalgam town, which was teeming with tourists this morning, went into complete silence. Tourists began leaving in droves. The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- 2 test COVID positive, woman dies during treatment (307th rank), Ayush Jain (344th rank), Monu Sharma (359th rank) Manav Modi (388th rank), Kritika Naugreya ( 400th rank), Sachin Goel (420th rank,) Ramlakhan Gurjar ( 505th rank), Yogesh Rajput (540th rank ), Priyanka Rathore (696 rank), Nitesh Dhakad (719th rank), Devangi Meena (764th rank), Prateek Sisodiya (753rd rank), Javed Mev (815th rank) and Arun Malviya ( 893th rank) have also qualified in the exam. This action follows a proposal from collector Ashish Singh, citing Vaishya's repeated absences from Jan Sunwai (public hearing) sessions despite clear directives to attend. Collector Ashish Singh confirmed the suspension, stating, “I had sent a proposal to the divisional commissioner for the suspension of DEO Sushma Vaishya due to her repeated failure to comply with official orders.” The suspension is seen as a strong stance against her disregard for attending these crucial sessions, which are meant to address public grievances. 4Continued on | P8 3 bookies from MP held for IPL betting in Goa IANS PANAJI Three bookies from Madhya Pradesh involved in betting on a T-20 IPL cricket match were arrested in Goa's Calangute along with digital equipment and phones worth Rs 1.10 lakh, an official said on Tuesday. The three accused, who were accepting bets online on the match between Kolkata Night Riders and Gujarat Titans on Monday, were identified as Ankit Rathore (34) from Bhopal; Badal (32) from Sagar; and Ajay (32) from Sagar, the police said. Calangute Police registered a case against three individuals following a raid past midnight on Monday. The raid was conducted between 12:35 a.m. and 2:45 a.m. at Flat No. 203, Arsh's Nest, Saldana Kayle Garden, Baga Calangute Bardez Goa, the police said. During the operation, the police seized a laptop and seven mobile phone worth Rs 1.10 lakh, said an official. POTENTIAL IN SAUDI TIES: PM PTI JEDDAH PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday arrived in Jeddah on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, where he was to hold talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to strengthen the friendship between the two countries. "Landed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This visit will strengthen the friendship between India and Saudi Arabia. Eager to take part in the various programmes today and tomorrow," Modi posted on X in English and Arabic along with pictures. This is his third visit to the Gulf kingdom, and the first to the historic city of Jeddah. As a special gesture, the PM's aircraft was escorted by F-15s of the Royal Saudi Air Force in Saudi airspace. 4Continued on | P8