FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 14 No. 212 | BHOPAL | TUESDAY | JANUARY 14, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Team India needs Rohit, Virat for 3-4 years more: Yograj P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL WORLD UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit A New White House Beckons P.8 Man dressed as firefighter caught robbing LA houses Nation EC assures probe into AAP’s fake voter claim P.6 MAHA KUMBH | Chants of ‘Har Har Gange’ & ‘Jai Shri Ram’ fill the air on Paush Purnima 1.65 CR PEOPLE TAKE HOLY DIP Biswajeet Banerjee MAHAKUMBHNAGAR Hindu pilgrims taking a holy dip in the sacred waters of Sangam, the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers, during the Maha Kumbh Mela festival in Prayagraj on Monday Govt mulling liquor ban in religious cities Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL fp Briefs NEW DELHI Retail inflation eases to 5.2% Retail inflation declined to a four-month low of 5.22% in December, mainly on account of easing of prices in the food basket, including vegetables—according to government data released on Monday—giving headroom to RBI to reduce key interest rate in upcoming monetary policy reviews. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that his government is contemplating to implement liquor prohibition in religious cities of the state. The liquor prohibition will be enforced by amending the policy. He added that complaints often pour in that atmosphere in religious cities gets affected. Therefore, government is serious over suggestions given by saint community for liquor prohibition. ‘Our effort is that the sanctity of religious cities remains intact,’ he said. He added that the state government will shortly take a concrete decision in this regard. BJP and ministers have welcomed the announcement of the CM to ban liquor in religious cities. Sources said that now the government will go for amendment in the excise policy to ban sale and consumption of liquor in religious cities of the state. Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL A day after appointing presidents of Ujjain and Vidisha districts, the BJP announced names of 18 more district presidents on Monday. Ravindra Yati has been appointed as Bhopal (City) district president. Yati is close to BJP state president VD Sharma and the latter played a pivotal role in getting the post for him. The party finalised the names as per the choice of Sangh and other big leaders. 4Continued on | P6 Cold snap tightens grip, chilly winds add to misery WEATHER WATCH Neemuch Indore 0 6.1 C 7.60C Dhar NEW DELHI India summons B’desh envoy Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India, Nural Islam was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday. The summon to the Bangladesh envoy comes a day after the Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka, Pranay Verma was summoned by the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Sunday. BJP announces 18 dist prezs Pachmarhi 0 6.4 C 7.90C Shajapur Ratlam 0 6.8 C 8.00C Rajgarh Bhopal 0 7.0 C 100C Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Madhya Pradesh is in grip of a biting cold wave, as temperatures continued to fall sharply across the state for the second consecutive day on Monday. Day and night temperatures have dropped significantly, causing widespread discomfort. Bhopal recorded a 3°C drop in daytime temperature, reaching 18.8°C, and a 4.4°C dip in night-time temperature, settling at 10.0°C. 4Continued on | P6 offgrid ‘Have 4 children, get Rs 1 Lakh’ Our Staff Reporter INDORE Stoking a potential controversy, Madhya Pradesh Parshuram Kalyan Board chief Vishnu Rajoria called on young couples to have at least four children, offering a monetary incentive of Rs 1 lakh to encourage larger families within the community. "Couples having just one child despite having good jobs is certainly not in good taste. I appeal to young couples of Sanadhya Samaj to produce at least four children. Those who have four children in the community will receive a reward of Rs 1 lakh from the Parashuram Kalyan Board, regardless of who is in the chair," he said while addressing Sanadhya Brahmin Samaj Parichay Sammelan here on Sunday. In a video that went viral on social on Monday, Rajoria was seen expressing concerns over the declining population of Brahmins emphasising the urgency of reversing this trend. "The population of ‘non-Hindu’ communities is increasing rapidly in our country because we have almost stopped focusing on expanding our families. I have great expectations from the youth. The protection of future generations is in their hands," he said. Rajoria urged the youth to prioritise increasing their family size highlighting that those achieving prominence often limit their family to a single child which he described as “problematic”. 4Continued on | P6 The sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers came alive as 1.65 crore devotees took a holy dip as Maha Kumbh began on the occasion of Paush Purnima on Monday. With faith shining in their eyes and offerings in their hands, pilgrims braved the biting cold to partake in the spiritual spectacle. Chants of "Har Har Gange" and "Jai Shri Ram" filled the air, creating an electrifying yet serene atmosphere. Devotees began arriving at the Sangam from midnight, walking long distances through the chilly night. Wrapped in woolens, many carried belongings on their heads as they moved with unwavering resolve. “It feels like a burden lifted from my soul when I take a dip here,” said Savitri Devi, a 65-year-old pilgrim from Rajasthan, her face glowing with serenity after emerging from the sacred waters. The ghats became a vibrant mosaic of faith and festivity. Pilgrims of all ages, dressed in colourful traditional attire, waded into the waters, while children laughed and splashed in the shallows. Elders sat in quiet meditation, murmuring prayers, while younger visitors captured the moment on smartphones. “It’s a proud moment for us to be here, celebrating our culture with the world,” said 22-year-old Aniket Mishra from Prayagraj, selfie stick in hand, as he stood at the water’s edge. 4Continued on | P6 Right things will happen at right time: PM in J&K Modi inaugurates 6.4-km tunnel connecting Kashmir with Sonamarg PTI SONAMARG Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that he would keep promises he made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, in an oblique reference to the demand for restoration of statehood voiced strongly by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Modi was addressing a public meeting after inaugurating a strategic 6.4-km tunnel here connecting Kashmir with Sonamarg and constructed at a cost of Rs 2,700 crore. Speaking earlier at the function, Abdullah pressed for restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as promised by the prime minister be- fore the assembly elections in September last year and said, "My heart believes that you will fulfil this promise soon". Without making a direct reference to the issue of statehood, Modi told the gathering, "You have to believe that this is Modi and he keeps his promises." 4Continued on | P6