Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 37 Pages | `5 & for State (+4 pages) `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 210 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) NATION Rahul Gandhi takes potshot at Modi, says he has ‘habit of surrendering’ Briefs Modi, Carney eye G7 reset Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed his participation in the G7 Summit to be held in Kananaskis, Canada from June 15–17, following a phone call from newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Modi congratulated Carney and expressed hope for a renewed bilateral partnership rooted in mutual respect. India–Canada ties had soured under former PM Justin Trudeau over Khalistani separatist issues and allegations surrounding Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing. Carney’s ascension after Trudeau’s resignation may offer a diplomatic thaw. NEET-PG on August 3 The Supreme Court has allowed the National Board of Examination (NBE) to conduct NEET-PG 2025 on August 3 in a single shift, ensuring transparency and uniformity. The court, however, declined to grant any further extensions. The NBE said logistical challenges, including securing 1,000 tech-compliant centres and avoiding glitches, led to the delay from the earlier June 15 date. TCS, the board’s technology partner, cited August 3 as the earliest feasible date. SEE CITY B’desh polls in April 2026 Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has announced national elections will be held in April 2026, rebuffing demands by the opposition BNP for a December 2025 poll. Addressing the nation, Yunus stressed the need for reforms, justice, and credible elections. The interim government, formed after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, seeks to prevent future political crises. Mango man hails Rajnath Malihabad’s famed horticulturist Kalimullah Khan has developed a new mango variety named ‘Rajnath Aam’ in honour of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Known as India’s ‘Mango Man’, Khan has earlier named mangoes after icons like Modi, Tendulkar, and Aishwarya Rai. Awarded the Padma Shri, Khan said Singh’s dedication to peace and country inspired the tribute. ‘Kill Siddique’ plotter held Zeeshan Akhtar, alias Jassi Purewal, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of NCP leader Baba Siddique, has reportedly been arrested by Surrey Police in Canada. However, it remains unclear which specific case led to his arrest. A senior Mumbai Crime Branch officer confirmed they are seeking further details from central agencies. Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan Siddique’s Mumbai office on October 12, 2024. The Lawrence Bishnoi gang had claimed responsibility. Investigations later revealed that the plot was allegedly orchestrated by Akhtar, a Jalandhar native, who fled India soon after the killing— reportedly with help from Pakistani underworld operative Shehzad Bhatti, a senior member of the Farooq Khokhar gang. – Poonam Apraj Cinema Check out our verdict on OTT and Film releases GAMES India A batter KL Rahul warms up for England Test Series with ton against England Lions RBI DELIVERS BUMPER SURPRISE Palazhi Ashok Kumar MUMBAI Citizens and corporates were over the moon on Friday as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut the benchmark lending rate (repo) by 50 bps to 5.5%, and the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 100 bps to 3%. In principle, it’s a double bonanza to the nation, provided banks pass on the fruits of these jumbo cuts to the borrowers quickly. The battle against inflation is not a new phenomenon, it’s very much ongoing, both in developing and developed markets. On the contrary, India’s headline inflation has softened significantly over the last six months from above the tolerance band to well below the target, with signs of a broad-based moderation. “Strong macroeconomic fundamentals and benign inflation outlook provide space to monetary policy to support growth, while remaining consistent with the goal of price stability. As the global environment remains uncertain, KEY TAKEAWAYS ■ 50 bps cut in benchmark lending rate to 5.5% ■ 100 bps cut in CRR will infuse `2.5 lakh crore liquidity in the banking system ■ Retail inflation may fall to 3.7% ■ Maintains GDP forecast at 6.5% ■ EMIs on home, car, and personal loans to come down it has become even more important to focus on domestic growth amidst sustained price stability. The monetary policy actions should be seen as a step towards propelling growth to a higher aspirational trajectory,” RBI governor Sanjay Malhotra told media representatives. TRIUMPH OVER TERRORISM | Vande Bharat flagged off, PM Modi says that the development of Kashmir will not stop Pak attack on insaniyat, Kashmiriyat failed: PM M Saleem Pandit KATRA Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a scathing attack on Pakistan and accused it of being an enemy of peace, development, and humanity. Addressing a public rally in Katra after dedicating the Kashmir rail project to the nation, PM Modi, while referring to April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which left 26 civilians, mostly tourists dead, said, “Pakistan tried to target Kashmir’s economy and trigger communal clashes in India, but failed in the face of people’s unity and resolve.” "Tourism connects people, but our neighbouring country has always tried to disconnect humanity. Pakistan attacked the soul of Kashmir and humanity on April 22 by targeting innocent civilians. They wanted to incite communal violence, destroy livelihoods, and derail the region’s peace," PM Modi said. The PM blamed Pakistan for TELECOM NOD FOR STARLINK trying to damage the social fabric of the Valley and for directly targeting the growing tourism economy that has become a lifeline for thousands of Kashmiris. “ A poor worker, Adil, who re- Mallya blames UPA, seeks fair trial IANS FPJ News Service NEW DELHI MUMBAI Elon Musk-run affordable satellite internet service Starlink has received a satcom licence in India to offer its commercial services, possibly later this year or early next year. According to reliable sources, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has issued the Global Mobile Personal Communication by Satellite (GMPCS) permit to the US company. The trial spectrum is also set to be issued to Starlink in coming days, as the company has fulfilled all security compliance requirements outlined in its letter of intent (LoI). Starlink is now the third satcom company to get a GMPCS permit after Eutelsat's OneWeb and Jio-SES to provide services in the country.Starlink now needs approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (INSPACe), and has already submitted necessary documents, before the spectrum is allocated to the satellite-based internet service. The initial DoT approval was granted after Starlink agreed to comply with the new national security guidelines for satcom operators. Fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya has sparked a fresh political storm after accusing the Congress-led UPA government of contributing to the collapse of Kingfisher Airlines, citing a series of missed opportunities and rigid policies during the 2008 global financial meltdown. Speaking in a fourhour podcast with YouTuber Raj Shamani, Mallya described in detail how external economic shocks and government indifference grounded his once-celebrated airline. According to Mallya, Kingfisher Airlines was running smoothly until the 2008 global recession hit hard. “The money dried up. The rupee fell. Oil prices shot up to $149 a barrel,” he said. With operating costs skyrocketing, Mallya claimed he approached then Finance Minister 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation Starlink awaits approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) before the spectrum is allocated to the satellite-based internet service sisted the terrorists, was also shot dead. He was there to earn his living,” he added. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation The near-term and medium-term outlook, Malhotra said, “now gives us the confidence of not only a durable alignment of headline inflation with the target of 4%, as exuded in the last meeting but also the belief that during the year, it is likely to undershoot the target at the margin. The inflation outlook for the year is being revised downwards from the earlier forecast of 4% to 3.7%.” 4Contd on | nation 4See also | edit LOCAL BODY POLLS IN 3 PHASES Girish Chitre MUMBAI The elections to the state local bodies may have three phases, thanks to the limited number of Electronic Voting Machines available with the State Election Commission (SEC). It will be held in the first half of October. The SEC has swung into action after the Supreme Court ruled on May 13 that the election should be held in the next four months. It has asked the Urban Development Department (UDD) to complete the process of forming the electoral wards in the next two months, which will be followed by the lottery system for the reservation. However, the SEC appears to be worried about the availability of the required number of EVMs needed for the polling. Currently, the SEC has 65,000 EVM machines. 4Contd on | nation BMC's E & CC SELF-GOAL Department of 4 with `17,066 crore budget Devashri Bhujbal MUMBAI Marking World Environment Day on June 5, the BMC released its Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP) on Thursday, with a total FY 2025-26 budget of `17,066.12 crore. The ambitious MCAP will be implemented by the BMC’s Environment and Climate Change (E & CC) Department; however, questions are being raised about its implementation as the department is severely short-staffed. Out of the total 41 positions in the E & CC department, only four are filled. The department also lacks a full-fledged office, planned for Worli. “The dire state of the environment department itself shows the seriousness with which BMC wants to implement its climate action plan. It's just a show-off that the civic body is taking steps towards the environment and climate change as per national and international guidelines, but in reality, nothing is happening,” environment activist Zoru Bhathena said. “The department is currently running with the Chief Engineer and four assistant engineers. The work is been managed with admin staff and employees who also have additional duties. The hiring of the engineers has been in process since last year, but has been delayed due to reservations. We are trying the fill the positions, as E & CC is a crucial department. 4Contd on | nation LADKI BAHIN SCHEME `410 cr diversion from Social Justice Dept again Kalpesh Mhamunkar MUMBAI In a move that may spark fresh tensions within the Mahayuti, the Maharashtra Finance Department has once again diverted `410.30 crore from the Social Justice Department to fund the Ladki Bahin Scheme. The funds are intended to cover the June 2025 installment of `1,500 for each of the 2.5 crore beneficiaries across the state. Despite a hefty budget allocation of `36,000 crore for the Ladki Bahin Scheme during this fiscal year, the state appears to be struggling to sustain monthly disbursements, leading to budgetary cuts in other departments. Sources say that financial strain is prompting the government to slash funding from key departments like Social Justice and Tribal Welfare. This marks the second time Rs 410.30 crore has been rerouted from the Social Justice Department. With this latest transfer, a total of `820.60 crore has been redirected from this department alone. 4Contd on | nation One state, one registration, 13 roadblocks Ravikiran Deshmukh MUMBAI Buoyed by the success of the recently launched One District One Registration scheme, the state government is now working towards the more ambitious One State One Registration programme for property transactions. However, officials are facing 13 significant hurdles that could impede its smooth rollout. This initiative has been te, n ta atio e s tr On egis er on marked as a priority under the government’s 100-day programme assigned to each department. Encouragingly, the One District One Registration scheme — which allows property documents to be registered at any office within the same district — has already shown promise. Since its launch on May 1, over 15,000 documents have been registered across various districts. Under One State One Registration, citizens will be able to register property documents at any registration office across the entire state, not just within the same district. But the Revenue Department, headed by BJP leader Chandrashekhar Bawankule, has flagged several challenges in its implementation. 4Contd on | nation Tailpiece Karnataka shake-up continues Vinay Madhava Gowda BENGALURU The stampede outside Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium that claimed 11 lives has now snowballed into a fullblown political, legal, and administrative crisis in Karnataka. A day after the Cabinet met over the tragedy, swift and highprofile actions followed. The Intelligence chief shunted out, CM's political secretary removed as stampede blame game intensifies fallout began with the abrupt transfer of senior IPS officer Hemanth Nimbalkar, Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), blamed for failing to assess the scale and risk of the IPL victory celebration. His exit was widely viewed as politically symbolic — he is the husband of Congress MLA Anjali Nimbalkar, a vocal critic of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s rival, Satish Jarkiholi, in Belagavi. Parle-G packet sells for `2,342 in Gaza 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation offgrid Trump-Musk big, beautiful bromance goes kaput Deeksha Pandey MUMBAI The bromance between U.S. President Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk seems to have ended. An extraordinary social media feud between the two showcased the public fracturing of their once-close relationship. The feud exploded after Musk’s aggressive criticism of Trump’s tax and spending mega bill. In an interview with CBS News on May 25, Musk criti- cized Trump’s signature tax and spending bill. “I was, like, disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” he said. The criticism quickly escalated into an all-out online brawl between Trump and Musk on social media platforms ‘X’ and ‘Truth Social’. The U.S. president threatened to pull back billions of dollars in government contracts for Musk’s companies, while the Tesla CEO, amid a flurry of posts on X, took full credit for the sweeping Republican victory in last November's election, writing: “Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 5149 in the Senate.” “Such ingratitude,” he added. Musk went on to post a poll, asking his followers: “Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?” Over the course of the day, Musk went on to repost a tweet calling for Trump to resign, argue that his global tariff plan will trigger a US recession, and to suggest without evidence that Trump appears in unreleased files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Time to drop the really big bomb:@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been FPJ News Service MUMBAI made public.Have a nice day, DJT!” Musk posted on X. Musk also backed a call to impeach Trump, endorsing Vice President JD Vance taking the Oval Office. “President vs Elon. Who wins? My money’s on Elon. Trump should be impeached and JD Vance should replace him,” Ian Miles Cheong, a Malaysiabased right-wing writer, said in a post on X, on Thursday afternoon. “Yes,” Musk said in response to Cheong’s post. n famine-stricken Gaza, a father’s act of love—spending ₹2,342 on a packet of Parle-G—reveals how war has turned an Indian childhood staple into an unreachable luxury. A video posted by Mohammed Jawad, showing his daughter Rafif clutching her favourite biscuits, has gone viral—capturing the cruelty of manufactured hunger and the emotional toll of war. 4Contd on | nation 4Contd on | nation I