FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLI No. 261 | INDORE | THURSDAY | FEBRUARY 27, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: Sports UJJAIN MONEY An Afghan woman watches the ICC Champions Trophy P.12 INDORE India needs tax buoyancy to achieve 6.5-7.0% growth: EY PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit Rare Trump deal for rare earths P.6 Cinema Sanjay Dutt battles spirits P.14 78% teachers in state lack basic computer training Tina Khatri INDORE As India sets its sights on becoming a global leader in technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence (AI), the foundation of the country’s education system appears to be struggling. The recent “Unified District Information System For Education Plus (UDISE+) report has revealed critical gaps that may hinder the country’s ambitions in the digital realm. Alarmingly, nearly 78 per cent of teachers in Madhya Pradesh lack basic computer training, while a substantial percentage of teachers do not possess professional qualifications. These shortcomings raise serious concerns about how prepared the next generation is to harness the power of technology in a rapidly evolving world. Qualification crisis: Unqualified educators Even though urban areas like Bhopal and Indore are better off, over 14% of teachers in Madhya Pradesh lack professional qualifications. This results in students TECH-ED TROUBLE not receiving proper guidance, affecting their academic progress and development. Parent Varsha Sawlani expressed concern and said, “If our children are taught by unqualified educators, we’re compromising their future.” Without qualified teachers, students are less prepared for subjects crucial to future tech careers, like math and computer programming. $5M GOLDEN ROUTE TO US DIGITAL DIVIDE: TEACHERS LACK COMPUTER SKILLS The UDISE+ report reveals that 78 per cent of teachers in Madhya Pradesh, both government and private, lack essential computer skills like typing, using software, and navigating digital resources. City Percentage of teachers lacking computer skills Indore AP WASHINGTON Jabalpur Alirajpur 55 70 86 59 72 88 Shastri following path of Guru AF OUSTS ENGLAND FROM CHAMPIONS TROPHY Nanak, Ravidas, Kabir: Murmu J Bhopal Ujjain 4Continued on | P8 Universal pension scheme for all Indians in the work Online Report President Droupadi Murmu with Governor Mangubhai Patel, CM Mohan Yadav and Dhirendra Shastri during a mass wedding function at Bageshwar Dham, in Chhatarpur Mass wedding putting an end to casteism: CM Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said mass wedding functions are putting an end to casteism. Casteism creates rifts among people, and a discrepancy like some people should ride a horse and others should not prevails in the society, Yadav said. Shastri brought in horses for bridegrooms to end this discrepancy, Yadav said. 4Continued on | P8 WOMAN RAPED INSIDE MSRTC BUS IN PUNE Ankit Shukla NEW DELHI PUNE The government is working on a 'universal pension scheme' that will be available to all citizens, including those in the unorganised sector, Labour Ministry sources said on Wednesday. At present, those in the unorganised sector - such as construction workers, domestic staff, and gig workers - don't have access to governmentrun large savings schemes. The scheme will also be open to all salaried employees and the self-employed too. However, a crucial distinction between this new proposal and existing schemes, like the Employee Provident Fund Organisation, is that contributions for the former will be on In a shocking incident in Pune, a 26-year-old woman was raped inside a stationary Shivshahi bus at the busy Swargate ST stand in the city, officials said on Wednesday. The accused has been identified as Dattatray Ramdas Gade who has cases of theft registered against him at Shikrapur and Shirur police stations. According to the police, the 4Continued on | P8 In the presence of Murmu, 251 couples walked the aisles, and she gave gifts to three couples. Out of 251 girls, 108 belonged to tribal community. victim, a counselor at a hospital and residing in the AundhBaner area was waiting for a bus to Phaltan around 5.45 am on Tuesday when the accused approached her and struck up a conversation. Her called her ‘Didi’ (sister), and said the bus she was waiting for which was headed for Satara had arrived at another platform. He took her to another bus, one which was a ‘Shivshahi AC Bus’ parked elsewhere in the sprawling bus station premises. She hesitated to get in at first, but the man convinced her that it was the right bus. 4Continued on | P8 Centre opposes life ban ‘Bangladesh on convicted lawmakers minorities not India's concern’ PTI NEW DELHI The Centre has opposed in the Supreme Court a plea seeking life ban on convicted politicians, saying imposing such a disqualification was solely within the domain of Parliament. In an affidavit filed in court, the Centre said the prayer in a plea, seeking the same, amounted to re-writing of the statute or directing Parliament to frame a law in a particular manner which was wholly beyond the powers of judicial review. "The question whether a life-time ban would be appropriate or not is a question that is solely within the domain of the parliament," the affidavit said. By confining the operation of penalty to an appropriate length of time, deterrence was ensured while undue harshness was avoided, it added. There was, said the Centre, nothing inherently unconstitutional in limiting the effect of penalties by time and it was a settled principle of law that penalties were limited either by time or by quantum. Bangladesh has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining strong ties with India based on mutual respect and shared interests, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain said on Monday. He also asserted that incidents of violence against minorities in Bangladesh should not be a concern for India. His remarks came in response to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's recent concerns over attacks. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Online Report Trump’s gold card Canadians rally to sign anti-Musk petition Online report OTTAWA More than 250,000 Canadian citizens and residents have signed a parliamentary petition urging Canada to revoke Elon Musk's citizenship and passport. Musk’s association with US President Donald Trump, who plans to levya 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian imports next month and More than 250,000 Canadian citizens want Canada to revoke Elon Musk’s citizenship and passport who has proposed annexing the country as the 51st state is against the national interest of Canada,” the petitioners claim, CNN reports. Musk who is a citizen of South African, Canada, as well as the US, "has used his wealth and power to influence our elections,” the petition claims. “He has now become a member of a foreign government that is attempting to erase Canadian sovereignty.” In a response to news about the petition, Musk wrote on his social media network X that “Canada is not a real country.” The post was later deleted. CNN has reached out to Musk’s representatives for comment. 4Continued on | P8 oe Root smashed a fine century under difficult circumstances but could not stop England's elimination from the Champions Trophy following a shock eight-run loss to Afghanistan here on Wednesday. Thanks to Afghanistan opener Ibrahim Zadran's 177 runs, his highest oneday total, the team scored a massive 325/7 but despite Root's 111ball 120, England missed the target. Azmatullah Omarzai emerged the hero for Afghanistan, returning excellent figures of 5 for 58 and grabbing the crucial wicket of Root. SEE SPORTS PAGE Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL/ CHHATARPUR President Droupadi Murmu has said the saints, like Guru Nanak Devji, Sant Ravidas, Kabirdas, and Meerabai, gave the message of removing the barriers of untouchability and commit a proper place to women. Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham is carrying forward of the torch of these saints, Murmu said at the mass wedding ceremony held in Bageshwar Dham in Chhatarpur on Wednesday. Mandla Hasan Zaidi Donation boxes of temples should be open to daughters of poor: Bageshwar Dham Sarkar CITIZENSHIP SHORT CUT | Trump Gold Card will replace EB-5 visas in two weeks President Donald Trump said that he plans to offer a “gold card” visa with a path to citizenship for $5 million, replacing a 35-year-old visa for investors. “They’ll be wealthy and they’ll be successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it’s going to be extremely successful,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Tuesday. Commerce Secretary  Howard Lutnick said the “Trump Gold Card” would replace EB5 visas in two weeks. EB-5s were created by Congress in 1990 to generate foreign investment and are available to people who spend about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people. Lutnick said the gold card — actually a green card, or permanent legal residency — would raise the price of admission for investors and do away with fraud and “nonsense” that he said characterize the EB-5 program. Like other green cards, it would include a path to citizenship. About 8,000 people obtained investor visas in the 12month period ending Sept. 30, They’ll be wealthy and successful, and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people. We think it’s going to be extremely successful Donald Trump US President 2022, according to the Homeland Security Department’s most recent Yearbook of Immigration Statistics. The Congressional Research Service reported in 2021 that EB-5 visas pose risks of fraud, including verification that funds were obtained legally. Investors’ visas are common around the world. 4Continued on | P8