FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 192 | INDORE | THURSDAY | DECEMBER 18, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in World US widens travel ban, 5 more nations on list P.10 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY Global trade getting weaponised through tariffs, says Sitharaman UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Relief to Gandhis in Herald saga P.6 Cinema ‘Aditya Dhar, I have no words...’ P.14 VIKSIT MP| CM says decisions taken in last two years will shape MP’s future as a developed, self-reliant state. Highlights achievements like end of Naxalism, major infrastructure push & record tourism growth ‘`2.5-TN ECONOMY BY 2047’ Women to get Rs 5,000 instead of Rs 3,000 Kailash’s positive, bold speech wins all Our Staff Reporter Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday said Madhya Pradesh aims to become a Rs 2.50 trillion economy by 2047, with a target to raise per capita income to Rs 22.50 lakh per annum, as he presented the Developed Madhya Pradesh Vision–2047 in the Assembly. The discussion on the vision document continued for nearly 12 hours without interruption. The Chief Minister said the roadmap is based on eight key themes and aims to attract Rs 25 lakh crore in private investment by 2047. Highlighting women empowerment, Yadav announced that the government plans to increase financial assistance to He also appreciated the Congress chief ministers, highlighting their contributions for the state’s development. The minister counted the contributions of Arjun Singh and Digvijaya Singh. He was in full praise of the current union minister and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. India was once known as a “golden bird”, but in Madhya Pradesh gold bricks are now being “explored”, said Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar in the Assembly on Wednesday, taking a dig at the state government. Singhar said the government is showing dreams of a golden bird in 2047, but the so-called vision document has been prepared by a few officers without taking suggestions from people of the state. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar, minister Kailash Vijayvargiya, Leader of Opposition Umang Singhar wait for Governor Mangubhai Patel before Special Session of the Assembly on Wednesday women to Rs 5,000 from Rs 3,000, while linking beneficiaries to employment opportunities. Taking a swipe at Congress, Chief Minister said Opposition demands extension of Assembly sessions, but avoids debate once proceedings begin. On internal security, Yadav said December 11 will be remembered as the day Madhya Pradesh became naxal-free, achieving the target well ahead of March 2026 deadline. He said the state has avenged brutal killing of former minister Likhiram Kanwar, murdered by naxals. He claimed the BJP government had earlier eliminated dacoits and has now eradicated naxalism. 4Continued on | P8 Urban Development and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kailash Vijayvargiya’s speech during the day-long special session of the House won the heart of everyone in the House on Wednesday. Vijayvargiya’s speech was positive, and he did not criticise anyone. At the beginning, the minister said he would not utter a single word against anyone. His speech manifested his impeccable boldness. FP News Service MUMBAI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday described India and Ethiopia as “natural partners” in regional peace, security and connectivity, asserting that the two countries share a common vision of a world that is “more just, more equal and more peaceful”, concluding his maiden bilateral visit to Ethiopia. Later in the day, the Prime Minister arrived in Oman on a two-day visit, marking the final leg of his three-nation tour. Earlier, addressing a joint session of the Ethiopian Parliament earlier in the day, Modi said India stood at the heart of the Indian Ocean while Ethiopia sat at the crossroads of Africa, making their partnership vital for regional stability and development. Praises Cong CMs for their role in MP’s devpt BHOPAL Govt selling golden dream of 2047: Singhar Modi courts Africa, Gulf I feel very much at home because my home state, Gujarat, is also home to lions... I am told that there is a saying in Ethiopia: when spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion. We in India believe that when hearts are united, even mountains give way. PM Narendra Modi in his address to the Ethiopian Parliament TAKE SWIFT ACTION: HC to govt Luthra bros in police custody LS clears N-energy bill amid Oppn ire Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL The High Court, principal bench of Jabalpur, on Tuesday ordered state government to take immediate action on nursing admissions. A division bench of Justices VivekRusia and Pradeep Mittal passed a significant order in a petition highlighting irregularities in nursing education and serious anomalies in Madhya Pradesh’s admission process, delivering a major verdict in interest of nursing students. Trump orders blockade of Venezuelan oil tankers PTI PTI The petition was filed by NSUI State Vice President Ravi Parmar. Advocate Abhishek Pandey, representing petitioner, said that despite Supreme Court extending last NURSING ADMISSIONS date for admissions to nursing courses until December 31, 2025, Post Basic BSc Nursing (PB BSc Nursing) and Master of Science Nursing (MSc Nursing) were excluded from counselling, contrary to Supreme Court’s order. The Supreme Court had clearly directed that vacant seats in nursing courses in Madhya Pradesh should be filled only by eligible candidates who participated in state-level entrance examination and fulfilled qualifications prescribed by Indian Nursing Council (INC). Despite this, seats remained vacant due to negligence of State Nursing Council. High Court expressed serious concern over data on vacant seats. 4Continued on | P8 Dhaka visa centre closed amid security concerns B’desh envoy summoned IANS WASHINGTON NEW DELHI/DHAKA US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is ordering a blockade of all “sanctioned oil tankers” into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country’s authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country’s economy. Trump’s escalation comes in the wake of American forces seizing an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast last week, an unusual move that followed a buildup of military forces in the region. “Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform. India on Wednesday shut its Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at Jamuna Future Park in Dhaka amid a deteriorating security situation and inflammatory anti-India statements by radical Bangladeshi leaders. The closure came hours after New Delhi summoned Bangladesh’s High Commissioner, Muhammad Riaz Hamidullah, to lodge a formal protest over threats to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka. “In view of the ongoing security situation, the IVAC will be closed from 2 pm today. Applicants with appoint- ments will be given fresh slots later,” the visa centre said. India operates 16 IVACs across Bangladesh, collectively processing around 22 lakh visa applications annually. The State Bank of India is the sole authorised agency for receiving visa applications. The Ministry of External Affairs said the Dhaka envoy was summoned to flag activities of extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian Mission. India “completely rejects the false narrative” being pushed over recent events in Bangladesh and expressed concern that the interim government has neither conducted a thorough probe nor shared credible evidence. PANAJI A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, to five days of police custody in connection with the December 6 fire that killed 25 people. The brothers were brought 2 CGST officials held accepting Rs 4L bribe FP News Service JABALPUR The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested two CGST officials for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 4 lakh from a hotel owner during a tax assessment. CGST Superintendent Mukesh Buman and Inspector Sachin Khare were caught taking the bribe from hotelier Vivek Tripathi, sources said. The action followed a complaint by Tripathi, whose hotels had recently undergone a CGST audit. According to the complaint, all documents and transactions were in order, yet the officials raised a tax demand of Rs 1 crore. When Tripathi raised objections, the officers allegedly demanded Rs 4 lakh to drop the claim. OTT OUTSIDE CENSOR NET FP News Service MUMBAI The Centre has reiterated that content streamed on OTT platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and others will not come under CBFC’s jurisdiction, but will instead be governed by the Information Technology (Inter- mediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The clarification was given in Parliament by L Murugan, MoS for Information and Broadcasting, amid concerns over obscenity, misinformation and harmful digital content. CBFC, set up under Cinematograph Act, 1952, is man- dated to examine and certify films only for public exhibition in theatres, he told Lok Sabha. OTT content, he stressed, falls outside its purview and is regulated under Part III of the IT Rules, 2021, which specifically deal with digital media and online publishers. 4Continued on | P8 offgrid Trump tests Asim Munir’s authority at home Agencies ISLAMABAD Pakistan’s powerful army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir faces a major domestic test as the United States presses Islamabad to contribute troops to a proposed Gaza stabilization force under President Donald Trump’s Pak military chief runs the risk of being accused of ‘doing Israel’s bidding’ as Trump plans a force drawn from Muslim countries to oversee Gaza transition. Munir is set to meet the US prez in coming weeks peace plan. Munir is expected to travel to Washington soon for his third meeting with Trump in six months, sources told Reuters, with the Gaza force likely to dominate talks. Trump’s 20-point plan envisages an international force overseeing Gaza’s transition, reconstruction and economic recovery after more than two years of war. 4Continued on | P8 Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar GOA NIGHTCLUB CASE to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand and produced before Judicial Magistrate First Class Puja Sardesai after undergoing multiple medical examinations at the District Hospital in North Goa. 4Continued on | P8 NEW DELHI The Centre on Wednesday introduced the Sustainable Harnessing of Atomic Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill in the Lok Sabha calling it a necessary legislation to address India’s growing energy needs and for increasing the share of nuclear power up to 10% of the energy mix. During the discussion, the Opposition criticised the bill for removing the clause on liability on suppliers of nuclear equipment saying this could prove disastrous in the event of a nuclear mishap. Moving the legislation, which was later passed by the House, Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh had described it as “a very important and historic Bill. 4Continued on | P8