FP FREE PRESS The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms VOL. 13 NO. 334 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | MAY 16, 2024 | PAGES 14 `3 - r Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 EDITIONS: INDORE, BHOPAL, UJJAIN, MUMBAI, PUNE MONEY UNEMPLOYMENT RATE DIPS TO 6.7% IN MARCH QUARTER WEATHER Shah, Jaishankar, Himanta put the spotlight on PoK PAKISTAN HAS MENTAL BLOCK WHEN IT COMES TO PLAYING INDIA IN WC: MISBAH SPORTS 38.40c. 24.60c Sunrise : 05.46 Sunset : 07.00 ‘PoK part of India, we will take it’ ‘People compare J&K & PoK’ SERAMPORE NEWS BRIEF Slovakia PM shot at, wounded SLOVAKIA: Four-time Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico was wounded in a shooting incident on Wednesday (local time) in Handlova and has been hospitalised, reported The Slovak Spectator. The incident took place after a government meeting in Handlova. Lawrence Wong new Singapore PM SINGAPORE: Economist Lawrence Wong was on Wednesday sworn in as Singapore's fourth prime minister in a planned political transition for the island state. Wong, 51, succeeded Lee Hsien Loong, 72, who relinquished his position after two decades; both belong to the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) that has been driving Singapore's economic progress for more than five decades. Wong, who was the deputy prime minister, will be leading the fourth generation PAP politicians' government as the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister. Three sadhus killed in accident BASTI (UP): Three sadhus were killed on Wednesday after being hit by a pickup vehicle near Raipur village here, police said. The police identified the victims as Ram Milan Pal (55) of Ayodhya, Achhe Lal (58) of Maharajganj and Ram Bhajan Pal (53) of Maharajganj district. According to police, the victims were going to Katra Kuti Dham from Makhauda Dham, after completing 'Chaurasi Kosi Parikrama' on foot. They were hit by a vehicle from behind, killing them on the spot, they said. A case was registered and the bodies were sent for postmortem. Efforts are being made to arrest the driver, they added. 1 killed in Rajasthan mine collapse JAIPUR: Hindustan Copper Limited's Chief Vigilance Officer Upendra Kumar Pandey died after a lift collapsed at a mine in Rajasthan's Neem Ka Thana, police said on Wednesday. Fourteen others who were trapped in the mine were rescued and sent to a hospital in Jaipur for treatment, they said. Additional Director General (ADG) Anil Paliwal said the rescue team recovered the body of Chief Vigilance Officer Pandey from the mine. A team of 15 personnel had gone down the mine for an inspection and while returning, the cable of the cage broke due to which the cage fell down. They were stuck in a depth of around 1,875 feet. 7 schools get bomb threat in Kanpur Kanpur (UP): Seven schools including two run by the government, received bomb threat emails which were found to be a 'hoax', officials said on Wednesday. "Most schools reported the threat emails to police on Tuesday after it came to their knowledge, as the schools were closed on Sunday and Monday," Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Harish Chandra said. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday referred to protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and said "PoK is part of India and we will take it". Addressing a rally in Serampore, Shah said while peace has returned to once trouble-torn Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, Pakistanoccupied Kashmir "now echoes with slogans of Azadi and protests. "After the abrogation of Article 370 by the government in 2019 peace has returned to Kashmir. But now we witness protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Earlier slogans of Azadi were heard here, now the same slogans are heard in PoK. Earlier stones were pelted here, now stones are pelted in PoK," he said. Hitting out at Congress leaders for not supporting the demand of taking over PoK, Shah said, "Congress leaders like Mani Shankar Aiyar say it should not be done as they have an atom bomb. But let me say this Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of India and we will take it." CONTD. ON P7 NEW DELHI: Commenting on the unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said that he has no doubt that people residing in PoK will be comparing their situation with the people living in Jammu and Kashmir. "There is a ferment happening in PoK. You can see it on social media or television. The analysis of it is very complex but definitely I have no doubt in my own mind that someone living in PoK is comparing their situation with someone actually living in Jammu and Kashmir, saying that how is it that people today are actually progressing on our side," EAM Jaishankar said. He said that people on the other side have a sense and understanding of being under occupation, being discriminated and being treated badly "Clearly any . , such comparison would be preying on their minds," EAM said. On merging PoK with India, EAM Jaishankar reiterated that part of Kashmir was and will always be a part of India. "That part of Kashmir has always been a part of India, it will always be...if you ask me when will the occupation end there? I actually find it very interesting," he said. CONTD. ON P7 NEW DELHI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that when the BJP got 300 seats, it built the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and now temples will be built at Krishna Janmabhoomi site in Mathura and in place of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi after it gets 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls. He also said that Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) will be included in India under the leadership of PM Modi. He further said that during Congress' rule, no discussions were held in Parliament regarding Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "When the Congress government was in power, we were told that one Kashmir is in India and the other in Pakistan. It was never discussed in our Parliament that Pakistan has 'Occupied Kashmir,' it is actually ours. CONTD. ON P7 ‘Need 400 seats to take back PoK, build temples in Mathura, Varanasi’ Several ministers fail to increase voting percentage Karan Singh’s seat records highest polling % & Ahirwar’s lowest OUR STAFF REPORTER Bhopal Several ministers in the state failed to take voters to the polling booths in their assembly constituencies during the Lok Sabha election the way they were expected to. The BJP organisation told the ministers to work for increasing voting percentage across the state, but they could not even boost polling percentage in their own constituencies. The polling percentage remained below 60% in the assembly constituencies of Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla and eight other ministers. The ministers, in whose SC summons U’Khand CS over forest fires NEW DELHI: May 15 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Wednesday summoned the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary in person on May 17 over the alarming rise of forest fires in the state. A bench, headed by Justice B.R. Gavai, came down heavily on the state government for under-utilisation of available funds to tackle the issue. Expressing displeasure on the number of vacant positions in the Forest Department, the bench, also comprising Justices S.V .N. Bhatti and Sandeep Mehta, remarked CONTD. ON P7 CM’s seat registers 67.31% & dy CM Shukla remains behind others Highest polling in Sailana assembly segment The highest polling in the state was 84.37%, which was recorded in Sailana assembly constituency from where legislator of the Bharat Adiwasi Party Kamlesh Dodiyar was elected. Budhni, the constituency of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, was one of the seats where high voting percentage was recorded. Budhni recorded 81.54% of polling. Amarwada, Junnardev, Sausar, Pandhurna, Ratlam Rural and Chaurai were among other assembly constituencies where voting percentage was very high. constituencies the voter turnout was very low, are Rakesh Singh, Aidal Singh Kansana, Pradhuman Singh Tomar, Dharmendra Lodhi, Lakhan Patel, Rakesh Shukla, Radha Singh and Dileep Ahirwar. In the assembly constituency of Ahirwar, the voting percentage was the lowest – 50.15 per cent. Among the ministers, the constituency of Karan Singh Verma, Ichhawar, recorded the highest percentage of voting. The constituency recorded 80.27% of polling. Malhargarh, constituency of another Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, recorded 78.1% of voting. Sarangpur, the constituency of Gautam Tetwal, saw 78.69% of voting. CONTD. ON P7 give 10 kg of ration to the poor," Kharge said, addressing a joint press conference here with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. "I am saying this with guarantee because we have already done it in states, including Telangana and Karnataka," he added. MAKE YOUR WAY FOR CHANDU CINEMA SC orders release of NewsClick founder AGENCIES New Delhi The Supreme Court has ordered the release of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha, declaring that his arrest by the Delhi Police under the anti-terror law was illegal. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta today said the remand copy was not provided in the case, which makes his arrest void. "There is no hesitation in the mind of the court that the grounds of arrest were not provided, which vitiates the arrest. The appellant is entitled to release from custody after the Pankaj Bansal case. The remand order is invalid," said Justice Mehta. The top court had held that grounds of arrest must be provided in writing to the accused in its March judgment in the Pankaj Bansal case. The trial court will impose the bail conditions on Mr Purkayastha. CONTD. ON P7 More than 1.53 lakh deaths a year were associated with heatwaves around the world, with over a fifth of these deaths - the greatest share - coming from India, according to new research looking at data over 30 Scindia’s mother Madhavi Raje no more BHOPAL: The mother of union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and wife of late Madhav Rao Scindia, Madhavi Raje Scindia passed away at 9.30 am on Wednesday. She was not keeping well from last two months and was admitted at AIIMS, Delhi. Politicians cutting across political lines paid tribute to her. On Thursday, her last rites will be performed in Gwalior. CM Mohan Yadav, cabinet ministers, BJP state president VD Sharma, former State Congress President Kamal Nath etc have expressed grief on her death. In a campaign speech recently, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had pitched for more employment opportunities for youngsters, saying the Modi government's scheme to provide free ration to the poor every month was not a solution. "This will not build your future, this won't make you self-reliant," she had said. BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, list the government's free ration scheme in every political rally . CONTD. ON P7 Researchers also found that of the overall 1.53 lakh excess deaths occurring every summer, close to half came from Asia and more than 30 per cent from Europe years since 1990. India was followed by China and Russia, with each experiencing roughly 14 per cent and 8 per cent of these heatwave-linked excess deaths, respectively . The study, led by Monash University, Australia, found that heatwavelinked excess deaths accounted for about a third of all heat-related deaths and 1 per cent of total deaths Sanjay Singh meets Maliwal amid row over assault incident BJP questions Kejriwal's silence NEW DELHI AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday met party colleague Swati Maliwal amid a row over her allegation that she was assaulted at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence by his aide Bibhav Kumar, even as the BJP sharpened its attack on the AAP supremo, asking him to come clean and demanding action against the guilty . Aam Aadmi Party leaders refused to give details about Singh's meeting with the former DCW chief, who remained incommunicado. The meeting at Maliwal's residence is seen as an attempt to pacify the woman leader who has been with the party since its inception. On Tuesday, Singh had at a press conference said that Kejriwal's personal assistant Bibhav Kumar had "misbehaved" with Maliwal at CM's residence and that Kejriwal would take strict action in the matter. The statement had come a day after Maliwal had made a police call from the CM's residence and also went to the Civil Lines po- RANCHI The Enforcement Directorate Wednesday arrested Congress leader and Jharkhand Rural Development Minister Alamgir Alam in a money laundering case, official sources said. The 70-year-old was taken into custody at the agency's zonal office here under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after about six hours of interrogation on the second day of questioning, the sources said. He was grilled by the federal agency Tuesday for over nine hours and his statement was also recorded. The agency had last week arrested Alam's personal secretary and state admin- Sisodia's JC extended till May 30 NEW DELHI A Delhi court on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of AAP leader and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia till May 30 in a corruption case related to an alleged excise scam. Special judge for CBI and ED Kaveri Baweja also fixed May 30 for further arguments on framing of charges in the case. The judge noted that an application for postponement of arguments on the charge is pending before the high court. CONTD. ON P7 20% heatwave deaths in past 30 yrs were in India: Study AGENCIES New Delhi QUALITY AT VALUE www.freepressjournal.in lice station. However, Maliwal is yet to file a police complaint in the matter. A team of Delhi Police officials visited her house on Tuesday but declined to provide details. Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Shazia Ilmi, who was formerly with AAP, also expressed concern over Maliwal's safety and wondered if she was being intimidated and pressured into reaching "some kind of a compromise". She also targeted the opposition INDIA bloc, questioning the "silence" of Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and party president Mallikarjun Karage as well as TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on the issue. Earlier in the day, BJP leaders and workers, including activists of its Mahila Morcha, held a protest near Kejriwal's residence. CONTD. ON P7 ED arrests J’khand minister Alamgir for money laundering Kharge promises 10kg free ration to the poor LUCKNOW: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge announced Wednesday that if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, it will double the quantity of free rations provided by the BJP government to the poor. He referred to the Modi government scheme providing five kilograms of ration to the poor every month and said, "The Congress brought the Food Security Act, you did nothing." "You are giving five kg, if INDIA bloc government is formed, we will r RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 globally . RFurther, the largest estimated death rates (deaths per population) were seen in regions with dry climates and lower-middle incomes. The findings are published in PLoS Medicine. "During the warm seasons from 1990 to 2019, heatwave-related excess deaths accounted for 153,078 deaths per year, a total of 236 deaths per ten million residents or 1 per cent of global deaths," the authors wrote. istrative service officer Sanjeev Kumar Lal (52) and the latter's domestic help Jahangir Alam (42) following the seizure of more than Rs 32 crore cash from a flat linked to them. The money laundering investigation pertains to alleged irregularities and payment of "bribes" in the state rural development department. While seeking the re- mand of the two arrested persons, the ED had informed a special PMLA court here that Lal collected "commission" on behalf of some influential people and that government officials from "top to bottom" in the rural department are involved in the alleged illegal cash payments nexus. The total seizure of cash by the ED in this case has been recorded at around Rs 36.75 crore as the agency seized about Rs 3 crore from other locations including Rs 10.05 lakh from Lal's place and Rs 1.5 crore from a contractor's place. CAA gets rolling: 14 get citizenship NEW DELHI The first set of citizenship certificates under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was issued Wednesday here to 14 people, nearly two months after rules under the contentious law were notified to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from three neighbouring countries. Union Home Minister Amit Shah termed it a "historic day", saying the decades-long wait of those who faced religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan is over. Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla handed over the certificates to the 14 people after their applications were processed online through a designated portal, an official spokesperson said. This comes in the midst of the general elections which started on April 19. The last phase of polling will be held on June 1 while the counting will take place on June 4. The CAA was enacted in December 2019 for granting Indian nationality to persecuted Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. After the enactment, the CAA got the president's assent but the rules under which the Indian citizenship was granted were issued on March 11 this year after over a delay of four years. CONTD. ON P7