FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. XLII No. 105 | INDORE | MONDAY | SEPTEMBER 22, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 FREE www.freepressjournal.in World Bad things will happen if Kabul does not return Bagram: Trump P.9 1 MAA SHAILAPUTRI, COLOUR: WHITE fp Briefs GAZA CITY 91 dead in Israeli strike Israeli forces killed 91 Palestinians in Gaza in a single day, including family members of a prominent doctor and several people fleeing northern Gaza City, as air and ground operations intensified to capture the enclave's largest urban centre, Al Jazeera reported. The strikes on Saturday targeted residential homes, shelters, tents for displaced people and a truck carrying civilians ordered to evacuate Gaza City. At least 76 people were killed in those attacks. GUWAHATI Thousands bid adieu to Zubeen The mortal remains of Assam's most loved singer, Zubeen Garg, reached his hometown on Sunday morning, triggering an outpouring of grief as thousands lined the streets to catch a last glimpse of their icon. The body, flown in from Delhi on a commercial flight, arrived at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport around 7 a.m.It had been brought to the national capital from Singapore shortly after midnight, where Garg tragically passed away on Friday following a swimming accident. Apart from the recently conducted joint military exercises between the armed forces of India and the US, senior Indian army officers arrived in America to study the medical facilities of the US military and boost defence medical cooperation and strategic cooperation between the two countries, Ministry of Defence officials said on Sunday. iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY GST rate cut kicks in, goods & services become cheaper UJJAIN PRESS PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit MAGA at the cost of India P.10 Brand Sutra Impact Over Income P.12 NAVRATRI GIFT | Heralding ‘GST Bachat Utsav’, PM says rollout of tax reforms today will boost India’s growth story, benefit all India roar past Pak Great Swadeshi Tune Abhishek creates history, Hardik spins magic FP News Service NEW DELHI PM Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that the next-generation GST reforms, set to take effect from Monday, will significantly boost India’s economic growth and serve as a major milestone toward building an aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). Speaking on the eve of Navratri, he described the reforms as a "big and important step" and linked them directly to a renewed push for swadeshi (indigenous) products. Calling the rollout a “GST savings festival,” the PM said it will bring relief to the poor, middle class, youth, farmers, women, traders, and small business owners. Addressing the nation in a 19minute televised speech, he said the reforms will be a "double bonanza" for citizens — coming just months after the government increased the income tax exemption limit to ₹12 lakh. Together, he said, these decisions are expected to save citizens ₹2.5 lakh cr, reducing household expenditure and boosting savings. “On the first day of Navratri, the country is going to take a big and important step for aatmanirbhar Bharat. With the sunrise tomorrow, next-generation GST reforms will come into effect. A GST bachat utsav (savings festival) will begin,” he declared. Modi strongly advocated for the use of indigenous products, NEW DELHI India, US armies join hands ESTD-1983 Rs 100 cr stolen: BJP leader alleges Tirupati theft under YSRC rule Online Report TIRUPATI A BJP leader has alleged that over Rs 100 crore was stolen from the donation box of the Tirupati temple during the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress regime. Bhanu Prakash Reddy, who is also a Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) member, claimed that temple staffer Ravikumar stole cash from the donation box and released CCTV footage to back his claim. Reddy alleged that crores of rupees were invested in real estate using the looted money and the illegal funds were allegedly diverted to Jagan Mohan Reddy's house, Tadepalli Palace. He also claimed that the Rs 100 crore theft was the "biggest such loot" in TTD's history under the YSRCP regime, which spanned from 2019 to 2024. 4Continued on | P8 GST reforms will bring happiness to every family, will accelerate India's growth story. This reform is not only about reducing prices but about creating new opportunities. India Inc hails Swadeshi drive Apex business chamber CII hailed PM Narendra Modi’s clarion call to boost domestic manufacturing and demand for Indian-made products, giving a fresh momentum to the Swadeshi campaign powered by the cut in taxes under GST 2.0. The PM’s address marks a landmark for India’s growth path, with the reduction of taxes on essential and daily-use products under GST 2.0 reforms poised to enhance disposable incomes for households and stimulate domestic demand, the CII said in a statement.These reforms, which will kick in from Monday, will significantly boost domestic manufacturing and demand for Indian-made products, giving fresh momentum to the Swadeshi movement, it said drawing a parallel with India’s freedom movement. He called on citizens to embrace swadeshi in their daily lives. “We have to make every home a symbol of swadeshi. We must decorate every shop with swadeshi goods,” he said, urging people to take pride in buying and selling Indianmade products. “It should be the spirit of every Indian to say with pride, I buy swadeshi, I sell swadeshi.” He emphasized that the swadeshi movement will contribute to national prosperity, just as it did during the struggle for independence. Modi also encouraged citizens to be more conscious of the origin of the products they use, noting that many items of foreign origin have quietly become part of daily life. Under the revised structure, MP legal team, OBC Mahasabha gear up for 27% quota fight Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL With the Supreme Court scheduled to resume hearings on the 27% OBC reservation case from September 24, the Madhya Pradesh government and the OBC Mahasabha have intensified legal preparations. A strategic meeting was held in Delhi on Sunday, bringing together senior legal officers of the state and key representatives of the OBC Mahasabha to finalise arguments and action plans. The meeting, which lasted over two and a half hours, focused on how to remove the existing 13% hold on OBC-reserved posts and push for full implementation of the 27% reservation in the state. The discussion was led by senior advocate and former Additional Solicitor General of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, ex-ASG P. Wilson to appear in SC on September 24 India, P. Wilson, who engaged closely with Madhya Pradesh’s legal team to align strategies for the upcoming hearings. This high-level meeting was organised with the approval and involvement of the OBC Mahasabha and included indepth deliberations on legal tactics and constitutional positioning. Participants included Additional Advocate Generals Nilesh Yadav and Dhirendra Parmar, Standing Counsel Mrinal Elkar and Deputy Advocate General Harmeet Rooprah. 4Continued on | P8 Bad things will happen: Don warns Af Agencies WASHINGTON, DC US President Donald Trump demanded that Afghanistan return control of Bagram Air Base to Washington, warning the Taliban government that "bad things are going to happen" if they did not comply with his de- BAGRAM AIR BASE mand. "If Afghanistan doesn't give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!" Trump warned in a post on Truth Social. Bagram Air Base is currently under the control of the Taliban government after the US troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. Trump has repeatedly indicated that he would have kept control of the air base, given its strategic importance near the border between Afghanistan and China. See world This year, we made income up to Rs 12 lakh tax-free. GST reforms will make essential items cheaper. It’s a double bonanza for the poor, the neo-middle class, and the middle class. Let us buy goods that are made in India… that carry the hard work of our youth… that hold the sweat and effort of our sons and daughters. To achieve the goal of a 'Viksit Bharat', we must follow the path of 'atmanirbharta', and a significant responsibility to make India self-reliant lies with our MSMEs. only two major GST slabs — 5% and 18% — will primarily remain. Nearly 99% of items previously taxed at 12% have been moved to the 5% bracket. Everyday essentials such as food items, medicines, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, as well as health and life insurance, will either be tax-free or fall under the reduced 5% rate. 4Continued on | P8 Trump shifts to top gear on Nobel circuit Agencies WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump has repeated his claim that he solved the India-Pakistan conflict earlier this year with trade and asserted that he should get the Nobel Peace Prize for "ending seven wars". Since May 10, when Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate" ceasefire after a "long night" of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim over 40 times that he "helped settle" the tensions. India has consistently denied any third-party intervention. "On the world stage, we are once again doing things that we are just respected at a level that we have never been respected before. We are forging peace agreements, and we are stopping wars. So we stopped wars between India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia," Trump said at the American Cornerstone Institute Founder's Dinner on Saturday. "Think of India and Pakistan. Think of that. And you know how I stopped that -with trade. They want to trade. And I have great respect for both leaders. But when you take a look at all of these wars that we've stopped," he added. 4Continued on | P8 Agencies In a T20I showdown charged with talent, tempers, and record-breaking feats, India scripted a sensational sixwicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup Super Fours at Dubai International Stadium. Top-order sensation Abhishek Sharma carved his name into cricket history, smashing 50 T20I sixes in just 331 deliveries, surpassing West Indies’ Evin Lewis and becoming the fastest among fullmember nations to reach the milestone. The 25-year-old dynamo’s innings of 74 off 39 balls was laced with five sixes and six fours, setting the tone from the very first ball and earning him Player of the Match honours. HARDIK GOES PAST CHAHALMeanwhile, Hardik Pandya continued his record-breaking spree by sur- PTI TEKANPUR The Border Security Force (BSF) has updated its training curriculum and added drone warfare as a mandatory subject for its troops and officers, apart from commissioning an innovation centre to develop indigenous tools for the new-age warfare post-Operation Sindoor. The premier Officers' Training Academy of the about 2.70 lakh-strong force based in this Madhya Pra- passing Yuzvendra Chahal to become India’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20Is, claiming 97 scalps in 118 matches. (Match Report on Sports Page) 4Continued on | P8 Agencies NEW DELHI The Election Commission has asked its state election officers to be ready for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' lists by September 30, in an indication that the poll authority could launch the electoral roll cleanup exercise as early as October-November. According to officials, the EC brass asked state chief electoral officers (CEOs) at a conference in New Delhi earlier this month to be ready for SIR rollout in the next 10 to 15 days. But for the sake of greater clarity, the deadline of September 30 was set. The CEOs have been told to keep voter lists of their states, published after the last SIR, ready. Several state CEOs have already put up the voter lists published after their last SIR on their websites. The website of the Delhi CEO has the voter list from 2008, when the last intensive revision took place in the national capital. In Uttarakhand, the last SIR took place in 2006 and the electoral roll from that year is now on the state CEO's website. The last SIR in states will serve as the cut-off date, just as the 2003 voter list of Bihar is being used by the EC for intensive revision. Most states had the last SIR between 2002 and 2004 and have nearly completed mapping of current electors with those as per the last intensive revision. The EC has said that after Bihar, SIR will be carried out in the entire country. 4Continued on | P8 Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav on Sunday urged everyone to stop calling the contests between the two nations a meaningful "rivalry." When a senior Pakistani journalist asked if the gulf in standards between the two sides had grown too wide, Suryakumar responded with a smile: "Sir, my request is that we should now stop calling India vs Pakistan matches a rivalry." When the scribe clarified that he was referring to "standards, not rivalry," the Indian skipper quipped nonchalantly. "Sir, rivalry and standard are all the same. Now what is a rivalry? If two teams have played 15 matches and it's 8-7, that's a rivalry. Here it's 13-1 (12-3) or something. There is no contest," he said before walking out of the media conference room with a grin. Poor turnout in MPPSC exam Our staff reporter INDORE The latest recruitment examination of the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) recorded a turnout of only around 30 per cent candidates, raising concern among officials. The exam was conducted to fill 15 vacant posts of deputy director, principal grade2 and assistant director.  Although 2,621 candidates had registered themselves, only about a third of them turned up to take the test. This is not an isolated case of poor attendance. In fact, several recent examinations conducted by the MPPSC have seen a similar decline in participation. The State Engineering Services Exam held recently registered attendance of barely 55 per cent applicants. Officials and experts are viewing the low turnout as a matter of concern, with many attributing it to factors such as limited vacancies. Woman practising Garba abducted by eight, rescued FP News Service MANDSAUR A young woman practising Garba in a pandal in Khanpura area was abducted by a group of people here late on Saturday night. She was dragged out of the pandal by two women and six men while she was practising Garba. A video of the incident is also making rounds on the internet. In the viral video, it can be seen that a group of people approached her while she was practising Garba in Bhawsar Dharmshala and then dragged her outside. A woman came forward to help her while she was being forcibly taken away but abductors kicked her away and fled the scene. As per sources, one of the abductors even had a country-made pistol BSF adds drone warfare to training syllabus desh town near Gwalior has also created a drone technology lab for the students of Rustamji Institute of Technology (RJIT), the only higher education institute run by a paramilitary force under the Union home ministry. The BSF guards India's over 6,000-km-long front with Pakistan and Bangladesh, apart from operating the home ministry's air wing for special missions. During Operation Sindoor, the force countered Suryakumar Yadav (L) walks past Pakistan's captain Salman Agha during the toss at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Sunday AP/PTI EC sets Sept 30 SIR deadline for states offgrid Commissions innovation centre Please don't call Indo-Pak matches a rivalry: SKY DUBAI drone attacks, loitering munitions and launched effective firepower against Pakistani positions along the border. Eighteen BSF personnel, including two posthumously, were awarded gallantry medals for displaying courage during Operation Sindoor, launched by India in May following the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack that claimed 26 lives. 4Continued on | P8 A woman being dragged away by a group of men and women during a Garba practice on his possession. The people present during the incident informed police. Acting swiftly, police cordoned off main roads of the district to nab the abductors. During checking, the vehicle was stopped in Chandwasa, under Shamgarh police station area and the woman was rescued within two hours. Station incharge Pushpendra Singh Rathore said that the woman of Garoth police station area, had left her husband and had been in a live-in relationship with a man named Yash in Mandsaur for the past three months. 4Continued on | P8 UK, Australia, Canada recognise Palestine state IANS LONDON In a coordinated diplomatic move ahead of the high-stakes United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session this week, three major Western countries — the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada — on Sunday formally recognised the State of Palestine, reviving global debate over the long-standing twostate solution. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the UK’s recognition of Palestine in a statement on social media. “Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” UK PM Keir Starmer said on X, signalling a shift in London’s Middle East policy.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed the same sentiment, releasing a detailed statement from Ottawa. See World