Saturday, December 27, 2025 | Vol. 69 No. 71 | 37 Pages Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL International day of epidemic preparedness INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation GAMES NATION Govt planning a 360-degree assault on organised crime: Amit Shah Honour for Suryavanshi Cinema As Salman Khan turns 60, we capture his different looks Shafali’s blitz after Renuka, Deepti show powers India to T20I series win over Sri Lanka Edit How repealing MNREGA to affect the workers in India RIPOSTE | MEA rejects allegations prevalent in Bangladesh that there was Indian involvement in the clashes. India also underlines elections have to be inclusive Delhi flags false Dhaka version PM promises more vigorous reforms PTI NEW DELHI Ashwin Ahmad H1B visa concerns: US aware of distress NEW DELHI PTI NEW DELHI Fourteen-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has taken the cricket world by storm with his audacious stroke-play, was on Friday conferred with the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu here. Seven-year-old chess prodigy Vaka Lakshmi Pragnika and swimming sensation Dhinidhi Desinghu were also among a host of children honoured for exceptional achievements in the fields of sports, bravery, social service and environment. Just a few days ago, Suryavanshi slammed 190 runs off 84 deliveries, studded with 16 fours and 15 sixes, for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate group match in Ranchi. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday declared Bangladesh’s claims that there was Indian involvement in the ongoing clashes in the country were false. Speaking at a media briefing, Jaiswal said that New Delhi had already issued a number of statements regarding the anti-India rhetoric in the country.  “On the anti-India rhetoric, we have already issued a couple of statements. We have happens in Bangladesh is the rejected the false narrative responsibility of the governthat has been projected ment of Bangladesh. To in Bangladesh. You portray a narrative that would also understand goes in some other dithat the law and order rection is false, and we and security situation reject that,” he said. and everything else that Scan & Watch Jaiswal’s response Ashwin Ahmad NEW DELHI comes as Bangladesh interim home minister Jahangir Alam Chowdhury indirectly alleged that there was an Indian hand behind the clashes. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation, world Biswajeet Banerjee LUCKNOW The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh has been completed, resulting in the deletion of nearly 2.89 crore names from the voter list, officials said on Thursday. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said that before the SIR exercise began, the state had a total of 15.44 crore registered voters. With the completion of submission and digitisation of enumeration forms under the first phase on December 26, the voter count has seen a sharp FPJ News Service MUMBAI drop. He said the draft electoral roll and the final figures would be released on December 31. According to official sources, a large number of deletions took place due to migration and verificationrelated reasons. Around 1.26 crore voters are reported to have permanently shifted out Union of India may explore possibility of passing legislation like Australia. Till such legislation is passed, the authorities concerned shall accelerate their awareness campaign more effectively, they shall take the message to the vulnerable group through all available medias. – Madras High Court availability of pornographic material on the internet. The plea also sought directions to internet service providers (ISPs) to offer parental control or a “parental window” service to users, Bar & Bench reports. Referring to the Australian law, under which social media companies must prevent children under 16 from having accounts or face heavy fines, the Court said the Union government may explore the possibility of passing similar legislation in India. “Union of India may explore possibility of passing legislation like Australia. Till such legislation is passed, the authorities concerned shall accelerate their awareness campaign more effectively, they shall take the message to the vulnerable group through all available medias,” the Court said. It further expressed hope that the Commission for Protection of Child Rights, at both the State and Central levels, would draw up an action plan and implement it “in letter and spirit” to tackle the menace of child pornography. 4Contd on | nation DGCA submits its CJI Kant pushes for confidential report mediation pathway and Symposium on Mediation in South Goa, he emphasised the need for a larger number of CJI Surya Kant on mediators at all Friday called for a levels, from district MULTI-DOOR transition towards courts to the apex COURTHOUSE a “multi-door court. He said courthouse,” envisioning courts mediation, which can help reas comprehensive centres for duce judicial pendency, is “not a dispute resolution rather than sign of the law’s weakness but its just venues for trials. highest evolution.” Addressing the Bar Council 4Contd on | nation of India’s National Conference PTI PANAJI INDIGO FIASCO Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI The four-member committee appointed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) submitted its investigation report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Friday. The report, which has been kept “confidential” details the root causes of the massive operational collapse that paralysed India’s largest domestic carrier during the first week of December. The panel, led by Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane, was granted an extension from its original December 20 deadline to process what officials described as “massive volumes of operational data" provided by IndiGo. While the final report remains confidential, the investigation focused on three primary failure points including crew planning, regulatory compliance, and crisis communication. 4Contd on | nation 2.89 cr names deleted from UP voter lists Under 16? No social media: Madras HC The Madras High Court has urged the Central government to consider enacting a law similar to Australia’s recent legislation that bans children under 16 from using social media platforms, citing concerns over children’s vulnerability to harmful online content, including pornography. However, the Court refrained from issuing any major directions or guidelines, noting that the Supreme Court had last year made suggestions to the Centre and other stakeholders in a similar matter concerning the rights of child sexual abuse victims, Bar & Bench reports. A Bench of Justices G. Jayachandran and K.K. Ramakrishnan observed while disposing of a petition filed over the easy MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to the concerns that Indian H1-B visa holders were facing. Speaking at a media briefing on Friday, he said that India was working with the US to alleviate the distress caused to Indians who were facing delays in the scheduling or rescheduling of US visa appointments.  “The government has received several representations from Indian nationals who are facing delays following the scheduling and rescheduling of their visa appointments. We have flagged these issues to the US side both here in New Delhi and in Washington, D.C., and we hope these delays and disruptions will be addressed,” said Jaiswal. Jaiswal added that a recent announcement from the US issued on December 15 could provide some relief to Indian families in the near future. The investigation centered on IndiGo’s transition to the revised flight duty time limitations (FDTL) norms, which became mandatory on November 1, 2025. These rules increased mandatory weekly rest for pilots from 36 to 48 hours and capped night landings to reduce fatigue. The Civil Aviation Ministry is expected to review the panel's findings over the weekend. Possible outcomes include heavy financial penalties, a permanent reduction in flight slots, or stricter oversight of the airline’s crew management software. 4Contd on | nation of Uttar Pradesh. About 45.95 lakh voters were found to be deceased, while 23.32 lakh names were identified as duplicate entries. Nearly 84.20 lakh voters were marked as untraceable, and 9.37 lakh voters did not submit their enumeration forms. Officials said the extension Centre against GST cut on air purifiers FPJ News Service NEW DELHI The Central government on Friday told the Delhi High Court that directing a reduction in goods and services tax (GST) on air purifiers without following the prescribed process could “open a Pandora’s Box”, leading to similar demands for tax exemptions in other cases. A Division Bench of Justices Vikas Mahajan and Vinod Kumar was hearing a public interest litigation filed by advocate Kapil Madan, seeking directions to classify air purifiers as a ‘medical device’ and reduce the GST on them from 18% to 5%, Bar & Bench reports. Additional Solicitor General N Venkataraman, appearing for the Centre, said the issue was being examined “at the highest level” but sought more time to file a detailed response. “This will open a Pandora’s Box. Parliamentary committee has recommended something to us. It will be considered. There is a process. We are not saying anything. We are not saying whether it will be done or not. Constitution issue is involved,” the ASG told the court. of the SIR timeline in the state led to the addition of around two lakh voters during the process. The Uttar Pradesh Election Commission had sought an extension of the SIR schedule from the Election Commission of India. 4Contd on | nation PM Narendra Modi on Friday said the government’s reform trajectory will continue with greater vigour, reiterating its commitment to improving ‘Ease of Living’ for citizens. He also highlighted the supreme sacrifice of the Sahibzade, describing it as the ultimate expression of India’s courage against religious fanaticism and terror. Modi made the remarks while responding to a series of posts by the Centre showcasing its initiatives across sectors. “Ours is a Government committed to boosting ‘Ease of Living’ and this thread below gives examples of how we have worked in that direction. Our reform trajectory will continue with even more vigour in the coming times,” he said. The Centre, using hashtags #ReformInAction and #GoodGovernance, said 2025 marked a shift in governance with a sharper focus on outcomes rather than complexity. Reforms were aimed at simplifying everyday interactions between citizens, businesses, and the state. The posts said simpler tax laws, faster dispute resolution, modern labour codes, and decriminalised compliance have reduced friction for individuals and enter- PM Narendra Modi called on President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday. prises, while promoting trust, predictability, and growth. Direct benefits to taxpayers were highlighted, with incomes up to Rs 12 lakh now attracting zero tax. “This has allowed middle-class families to retain more of what they earn, giving them greater flexibility to spend, save and invest with confidence,” the posts said. The Income Tax Act, 2025, has streamlined compliance and brought clarity, transparency, and fairness to the direct tax system. Higher investment and turnover limits helped MSMEs expand while retaining incentives, reduced compliance for firms up to Rs 100 crore, and encouraged innovation, growth, and easier access to finance. 4Contd on | nation US strikes IS base in Nigeria Agencies PALM BEACH, FLORIDA The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria’s government, President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday, claiming the group had been targeting Christians in the region. “Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries!,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. The U.S. military’s Africa … at my direction …the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS Terrorist Scum in Northwest Nigeria, who have been targeting and viciously killing, primarily, innocent Christians, at levels not seen for many years, and even Centuries! Donald Trump Command said the strike was carried out in Sokoto state in coordination with Nigerian authorities and killed multiple ISIS militants, Reuters reports. Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar told the British Broadcasting Corp the strike was a “joint operation” targeting “terrorists”, and it “has nothing to do with a particular religion”. Without naming ISIS specifically, Tuggar said the operation had been planned “for quite some time” and had used intelligence information provided by the Nigerian side. He did not rule out further strikes, adding that this depended on “decisions to be taken by the leadership of the two countries”. The strike comes after Trump in late October began warning that Christianity faces an “existential threat” in Nigeria and threatened to militarily intervene in the West African country over what he says is its failure to stop violence targeting Christian communities. 4Contd on | nation The US defence department posted a short video that appears to show a missile being launched from a military vessel. 4Contd on | nation Tupperware erotica Unpublished novel sparks streaming gold rush FPJ News Service MUMBAI An unpublished novel about a 1960s housewife who secretly circulates erotic fiction through Tupperware parties has set off a fierce battle for television rights, highlighting a growing appetite among streamers and production companies for stories by female authors.  Wet Ink, a novel by the 33year-old London-based author Abigail Avis, is not scheduled to be published until spring 2027. Yet industry insiders say it has already triggered a heated auction for its screen adaptation, with six major production companies vying for the rights, The Guardian reports. Dubbed “Tupperware erotica” by those close to the deal, the novel has become the latest example of a broader trend: books by female writers attracting intense competition as producers hunt for bankable, globally marketable stories in an increasingly A novel about a 1960s housewife who secretly circulates erotic fiction through Tupperware parties has set off a fierce battle for TV rights crowded streaming landscape. The contest for the TV rights follows an earlier battle over the book’s publishing rights, which were ultimately secured by Hodder & Stoughton, owned by Hachette UK, for a six-figure sum. The publisher is now planning a global marketing blitz. Set in 1960s London, Wet Ink follows Mitzy Barlow, a housewife and mother of two trapped in a loveless marriage and worn down by the monotony of domestic life. For more money, she hosts Tupperware parties, which were popular social events of the 1950s and 60s, selling plastic containers to neighbourhood women. Simultaneously, each night Mitzy starts writing sexual fantasies in a journal to cope with her dead-end marriage. As her confidence grows, under the pseudonym Queen B , she begins crafting her own stories. Soon, her Tupperware business doubles as a front for smuggling erotic writing to her customers, with the stories hidden inside the airtight containers. 4Contd on | nation