FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 190 | INDORE | TUESDAY | DECEMBER 16, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports CAPITAL IN MESSI MODE P.14 VIJAY DIWAS ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY India’s exports rise 19.37% in Nov; trade gap shrinks to 5-month low UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema ‘People assume I’m sitting on a high horse’ P.12 SIMHASTHA LAND POOLING SCHEME use Land Acquisition Act for necessary work TO BE CANCELLED The government will BJP MLA to Govt: Will join protest BHOPAL The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) has rejected the new draft of the land pooling scheme for Simhastha. Since the BKS has rejected the draft, the government is getting ready to cancel the scheme. According to the new draft, instead of 2,376 hectares, 155 hectares will be acquired under the scheme. According to sources, the government is preparing a fresh draft to cancel the land pooling scheme and may make it public. The BKS has warned the government of launching an fp Briefs NEW DELHI Raj Kumar Goyal is CIC Retired IAS officer Raj Kumar Goyal was sworn in as the Chief Information Commissioner in the Central Information Commission on Monday.President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Raj Kumar Goyal at Rashtrapati Bhavan. AMMAN PM Modi in Jordan The BKS has warned the government of launching an agitation against the land pooling scheme on December 26. BJP legislator from the Ujjain north constituency Anil Jain wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav that he would participate in the agitation to be launched by the BKS. At a meeting with the BKS held on November 17, an announcement was made cancelling the land pooling scheme, he wrote. But some amendments were made in an order issued on November 19. In his letter, Jain appealed to Yadav to withdraw the land pooling scheme. agitation against land pooling on December 26. The government may announce the cancellation before the beginning of the agitation. After cancelling the scheme, the land will be acquired for necessary work through the Land Acquisition Act. Land is necessary for constructing roads, sewerage, and other important work. Now, the government has to do exercises for acquiring land afresh. At a meeting between the government and BKS rep- resentatives, there was an agreement to cancel the land pooling scheme. But the government, instead of cancelling it, modified the scheme. The BKS opposed the modification of the scheme. Afterwards, the government prepared a fresh draft, which the BKS rejected. State president of the BKS Kamal Singh Anjana rejected the new draft, saying the decision taken at the meeting on cancelling the land pooling scheme should be carried out. MGNREGA renamed VB-G RAM G Ram Janmabhoomi movement stalwart Vedanti passes away Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI As the Centre on Monday listed the introduction of a Bill to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with a new law for rural employment — Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 — Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the rationale behind the move to remove the name of the Father of the Nation from the scheme. Talking to reporters in the Parliament complex, Gandhi asked, “Whenever the name of a scheme is changed there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery… for which money is spent. So, what So, what is the benefit, why it is being done? Why is Mahatma Gandhi’s name being removed? Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Congress Leader is the benefit, why it is being done? Why is Mahatma Gandhi’s name being removed.” The Congress leader also insisted that Mahatma Gandhi is a globally recognised person and is “considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world”. Therefore, she said, she does not really understand “what is the objective and what is their intention behind removing his name”. Earlier, the Centre had made it known that it would be introducing the Bill in Parliament. A copy of the Bill had stated that it would be introduced as the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural E m p loy m e n t Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of Scan & Watch 2005. 4Continued on | P8 LUCKNOW: Dr Ram Vilas Das Vedanti, a prominent figure of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and former Member of Parliament from Ayodhya, passed away while undergoing treatment in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed deep grief over the demise of Dr Vedanti, who was also a member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Dr Vedanti was regarded as one of the leading voices of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. During his tenure as the MP from Ayodhya, he consistently advocated the construction of the Ram Temple, raising the issue both in Parliament and through public mobilisation. See Nation Tina Khatri LOS ANGELES Rob Reiner, wife found dead Director-actor Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were the two people found dead at a Los Angeles home owned by Reiner, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. INDORE Madhya Pradesh emerged as the first state in the country to complete the registration of exotic pet owners within the timelines mandated by the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, marking a significant step in tightening oversight of India’s exotic animal trade. GOA FIRE TRAGEDY Luthra bros to land in Delhi today NEW DELHI: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of North Goa's Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub, are likely to arrive in Delhi from Thailand on Tuesday, the Goa Police said. The brothers will be taken into custody by the Goa Police immediately upon their arrival in the national capital. Thai authorities had detained the Luthra brothers on the basis of an INTERPOL Blue Corner Notice issued at the request of Indian law enforcement agencies. State forest and wildlife authorities launched an intensive compliance drive soon after the amended law came into force, aiming to document species that had earlier existed in a legal grey zone due to the absence of mandatory ownership records. Gujarat and Maharashtra followed closely, securing the second and third positions respectively in the nationwide registration effort. The move directly addresses India’s persistent wildlife trafficking problem. Official data show that more The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the HighPowered Temple Management Committee and the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea objecting to the darshan timings and temple practices followed at the Bankey Bihari Ji Temple in Vrindavan. It examined concerns about recent changes introduced by the BANKEY BIHARI TEMPLE court-appointed panel overseeing the temple’s functioning. A Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi prima facie observed that the present system appeared to amount to exploitation of the deity. The remarks came while hearing a petition filed by the Management Committee of Thakur Shree Bankey Bihari Ji Maharaj Temple, Live Law and Bar & Bench report. During the hearing, CJI Surya Kant took strong objection to practices allegedly followed after the temple closes to the general public at noon. 4Continued on | P8 PAHALGAM ATTACK LeT, TRF, 7 others named in chargesheet M Saleem Pandit SRINAGAR The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a detailed chargesheet in the Pahalgam terror attack case, naming Pakistan’s banned terror outfit Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) and its proxy The Resistance Front (TRF), and holding them responsible for planning and executing the deadly attack that killed 25 tourists and one local civilian. In a statement, the NIA said the 1,597-page chargesheet lays out Pakistan’s direct role in the conspiracy behind the attack, details the roles of the accused, and presents supporting evidence. The agency has charged the banned LeT/TRF as a legal entity for its role in planning, facilitating and carrying out the Pahalgam attack, which involved religion-based targeted killings by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. The chargesheet names Pakistani handler Sajid Jatt as an accused. It has been filed before the NIA Special Court in Jammu. The NIA has also named three Pakistani terrorists who were killed by Indian security forces during Operation Mahadev at Dachigam in Srinagar in July 2025, weeks after the attack. The three Agencies SYDNEY 4Continued on | P8 says Jitu Patwari FP News Service JABALPUR A video has surfaced on social media, showing at least 3 to 4 rats running around a patient’s bed in the ICU of Jabalpur’s District Hospital on Monday. The video, reportedly recorded by a patient’s relative, has gone viral on social media and sparked public anger. In the footage, several rats can be seen moving freely near a patient who is admitted in the intensive care unit. 4Continued on | P8 IANS GANGTOK enhancing livelihoods in remote villages. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said the opening of Doklam and Cho La reflects a broader national vision for border development. Expressing gratitude to the Government of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he emphasised that the progress witnessed today is the result of a focused and coordinated effort between the Indian Army, the State Government, and central authorities. “The development we are seeing in border areas is driven by the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister,” Tamang said. “Tourism initiatives in these regions will not only attract visitors but also improve living conditions for local communities and support vibrant border villages.” 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Sydney attack echoes Mumbai scars FP News Service MUMBAI The terror attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach has struck a painful chord in India, reviving memories of the 26/11 Mumbai carnage, after it emerged that one of the victims was a rabbi who had recently organised a memorial for those killed in the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Rabbi Eli Schlanger, 41, a British-born member of the Jewish community in Sydney, was among the 15 people killed Video shows rats running 16 flights cancelled around patient’s bed in ICU in Indore, 20 delayed Health dept worse as fog engulfs Delhi than Kumbhkaran, Congress state president Jitu Patwari slammed the health department for negligence. Drawing parallels between the govt and Ramayana character Kumbhkaran, infamous for sleeping, he said, "Kumbhakran toh fir bhi 6 mahine sota tha, apka swasthya mantralya 2 saal se sou raha hai." (Your health department is worse than Kumbhkaran). According to information, the incident is from hospital Victoria from Jabalpur. have been identified as Faisal Jatt alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir alias Jibran, and Hamza Afghani. The LeT/TRF and the four terrorists named in the chargesheet have been charged under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Arms Act, 1959, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The NIA has also invoked provisions related to waging war against India. According to the NIA, a meticulous and scientific investigation carried out over nearly eight months traced the conspiracy in the case, registered as RC02/2025/NIA/JMU, to Pakistan, which the agency said has been continuously sponsoring terrorism Scan & Watch against India. 6 weapons used in shootings? 4Continued on | P8 Sikkim opens Doklam, Cho La to tourists a key step in the state’s initiative to connect citizens with India’s border history while FP News Service NEW DELHI than 70,000 native and exotic animals were trafficked through Indian airports between 2011 and 2020. Madhya Pradesh is widely recognised as a key hub and transit corridor for illegal wildlife trade, alongside West Bengal, Rajasthan and Assam, owing to its central location and extensive transport networks. offgrid In a historic move aimed at promoting battlefield tourism and fostering development in border regions, Sikkim on Monday opened two of its most sensitive and historically significant border areas, Doklam and Cho La, to tourists under regulated conditions. The announcement marks Top court flags concern over exploitation of deity Australian authorities say the terror attack that unfolded at Sydney’s Bondi Beach was allegedly carried out by a father and son who used legally owned firearms to open fire on a crowd celebrating Hanukkah. Police believe six guns were used in the shootings. Police have identified the alleged attackers as 50-year-old Sajid Akram and his 24-yearold son Naveed Akram. Sajid was shot dead by police at the scene during a Scan & Watch confrontation, MP first in India to register exotic pets PM Narendra Modi on Monday met Jordan's King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein at the Husseiniya Palace here and discussed issues of bilateral and regional interests. Modi arrived here on a two-day visit to Jordan at the invitation of King Abdullah II. E-paper Edit BJP ends new chief suspense P.6 BKS REJECTS FRESH DRAFT | Warns of launching protest against land pooling on Dec 26, cancellation likely before beginning of agitation Nitendra Sharma MUMBAI Our Staff Reporter in the attack during the ‘Hanukkah by the Sea’ celebration marking the first day of Hanukkah. Twelve of the victims were from the Jewish community. Schlanger had helped organise the seaside gathering on Sunday evening, aimed at spreading light and joy. Just a week earlier, Schlanger had organised a solemn commemoration to honour the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, paying 4Continued on | P8 Very close to sealing interim trade deal with US: Top official IANS NEW DELHI INDORE Just as flight operations at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport were beginning to stabilise after IndiGo’s recent pilot shortage, air traffic was once again badly hit on Monday. This time, the disruption was caused by very dense fog at Delhi Airport, leading to extremely low visibility. As a result, 16 flights connected to the city were cancelled, while 20 others operated with significant delays, leaving passengers severely inconvenienced. The sudden cancellations and prolonged delays caused chaos at the airport throughout the day. According to official sources at the city airport, aircraft movements could not be maintained as scheduled due to adverse weather conditions in Delhi, which had a direct impact on flights operating to and from Indore. Nine outbound flights were cancelled, including services to Delhi, Goa, Pune, Gondia and Ahmedabad. In addition, seven in- coming flights were cancelled. These included four flights from Delhi operated by Air India, IndiGo and Air India Express. Star Air flights from Ahmedabad and Gondia were also cancelled due to operational reasons. Angry passengers protested at the airport following the abrupt cancellations. Several travellers said that after repeated cancellations of IndiGo flights, they had booked tickets with Air India, only to face further disruption when those flights were also cancelled. Many passengers reported missing important appointments and onward connecting flights, adding to their distress. Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday that India is "very close" to concluding an interim trade deal with the US to bring down tariffs, but stopped short of fixing any timeline on the issue. "We are very close on closing the initial framework deal, but I don't want to put a timeline to it," the Commerce Secretary told journalists here. "We have done six rounds of talks with the US, where we have discussed both the BTA (bilateral trade agreement) as well as an interim deal to lower reciprocal tariffs. There's a fair expectation that both countries will be able to agree to a deal to lower reciprocal tariffs," he said. "The visit of Deputy USTR was to take a stock of our trade relations and to see where we are on the BTA as well as the framework deal," Agrawal said. US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer also said recently that the US has 4Continued on | P8