FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 14 No. 290 | BHOPAL | FRIDAY | APRIL 4, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in fp BANGKOK PM Modi in Thailand Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held delegation-level talks with his Thai counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Modi, who arrived here on a two-day visit to attend the 6th BIMSTEC summit, earlier received a Guard of Honour and also witnessed a mesmerising Ramakien -- Thai Ramayana performance. "A special ceremonial welcome with Guard of Honour. PM @ingshin of Thailand warmly received PM @narendramodi at the Government House in Bangkok today," MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X. See nation NEW DELHI SC annuls appointment of 25k teachers In a major jolt to the West Bengal government, the Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools, and termed the entire selection process "vitiated and tainted". A bench comprising Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict dated April 22, 2024, annulling the appointments and ordered the Trinamool Congress-led state government to initiate a fresh selection process to be concluded within three months. See nation NEW DELHI EPFO eases fund withdrawal Retirement fund body EPFO on Thursday said applicants seeking withdrawal from provident funds online do not have to upload the image of a cancelled cheque and their bank accounts need not be verified by employers. The move is expected to fast-track claim settlement process for nearly eight crore members and ensure ease of doing business for employers. Today in IPL MATCH NO. 16 LSG Vs MI LUCKNOW; 7.30 PM (Detail on sports page) iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN MONEY Sports Maestro Gears Up for Glory P.13 Briefs ESTD-1983 PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK Cinema Of challenges and trolls P.14 India assessing impact of Trump’s 27% tariff Studying opportunities that may arise due to the new development PTI WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI President Donald Trump slapped universal duties on all countries exporting goods to the US and additional steep levies on countries like India, potentially impacting sales of products from shrimp to steel in the world's biggest economy. The US imposed a steep 27 per cent tariff on all goods, barring pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, energy and certain minerals not available in the United States, that are imported from India, calling the country the "worst offenders" of unfair trade practices. Export of products such as shrimp, carpet, medical devices and gold jewellery to the US will be impacted. On the other hand, exports of electronics, textiles, and pharma will get an edge over its competitor countries. Exemption of energy from the tariffs would also mean that India can continue to export fuels like gasoil and gasoline to the US. The goods that were exempted from the tariffs made up for just over 25 per cent of the total exports from India to the US. The Indian government reacted cautiously, saying it is "carefully examining the implications" of the announcements and will also study opportunities that may arise due to this new development in the US trade policy. Trump announced the imposition of additional ad valorem duties ranging from 10 per cent to 50 per cent on imports from all trading partners. 4Continued on | P8 The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) said that owing to India's price competitiveness and supportive government policies, it expects GDP to see only a marginal 0.1 per cent impact amid the recently announced US reciprocal tariffs No tariffs on Indian pharma The Trump administration has exempted the Indian pharma sector from reciprocal tariffs, recognising the vital role played by the domestic industry in supplying affordable medicines across the globe, including the US, according to industry players. Indian-American members of the US Congress and the diaspora community criticised the reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Trump Nitendra Sharma The Nal Jal Yojna has come to a standstill in several villages across the state. With the advent of summer, a large number of villages are facing severe water shortage. One of the major reasons 10% hike in property tax, 15% in water tax proposed KEY PROPOSALS Proposed hike sees strong opposition from Cong councillors Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Mayor Malti Rai presented the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) budget on Thursday, announcing a 10% increase in property tax and a 15% hike in water and waste charges. The budget, totalling Rs 3,611 crore, is the highest in BMC’s history. The meeting, presided over by BMC Chairman Kishan Suryavanshi, saw strong opposi- n Rs 30 crore for heritage entrance gates at city entry points. n Rs 15 crore for women’s empowerment initiatives. n Rs 1.5 crore for solar power plants at water filtration units. n Rs 3 crore for green spaces and water structures. n Rs 4 crore for a swimming pool on Ayodhya Bypass Road. n Rs 32 crore for immersion ghat development. n Rs 5 crore under Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0. n Rs 50 lakh for community and sports ground development near Govindpura. n Rs 20 crore for constructing Geeta Bhawan. n Rs 12 crore for park tion from Congress councillors, who protested tax hikes. Leader of Opposition Shabista Zaki said that tax hikes cannot be imposed after March 31 and development. n Rs 400 crore for implementing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. n Student incentive for BMC employees’ children excelling in Class 10th & 12th exams doubled to Rs 10,000 from Rs 5,000. n Rs 42.5 Crore for the Ward Planning Fund, with Rs 50 Lakh allocated to each ward for development. n Rs 2.1 Crore under the Zone President Fund for zone-level development. n Rs 10 Crore for maintaining GIS beautification projects. n Rs 10 Crore for the Mayor Council Member Fund. n Rs 15 Crore for development work in various assembly constituencies that no significant work had been carried out using previous recoveries. 4Continued on | P8 Festival turns tragic as eight No one guilty of 36 deaths in Bawdi Background drown in well during cleanup Court sharply criticises cops, KHANDWA Eight people drowned while cleaning a well for Gangaur immersion in Kondawat village situated some 30 km from Khandwa on Thursday evening, officials said. Khandwa collector Rishav Gupta said that all eight bodies have been brought out after a four-hour operation involving around 100 people, including a 15-member SDERF team and locals. Eyewitnesses said that the men descended into the Our Staff Reporter INDORE well at around 3 pm but at around 5 pm when they failed to get out or respond to calls, the villagers be- came alarmed and formed local police. in- 4Continued on | P8 LS confirms Fiery exchanges over Waqf Bill in Rajya Sabha imposition of Prez's rule IANS in Manipur NEW DELHI The Waqf (Amendment) Bill is facing a crucial Rajya Sabha test on Thursday, a day after sailing through the Lok Sabha following a marathon 12-hour debate. Minister of Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju tabled the Bill and emphasized why it was significant in bringing a turnaround in the lives of poor Muslim families. The Upper House witnessed repeated rounds of verbal squabbles as the treasury and opposition benches locked horns over multiple issues, including Leader of Opposition in the House Mallikarjun Kharge’s Waqf landholding claims and ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans raised after Congress MP's election win in Karnataka. The chaos also saw interventions from Home Minister for water shortage in villages is that operation of Nal Jal Yojna has not been properly carried out. It has come to light after the submission of the functionality report of the Government of India. On the basis of random survey, it came to light that 157 projects under Nal Jal Yojna, which handed over to the Gram Panchayats, have stopped working. Out of 157, 128 have been closed, because the Gram Panchayats barely took any The tragic incident occurred when a floor covering the ancient stepwell within the temple premises collapsed under the weight of devotees. The court's verdict raises serious questions about accountability and the handling of the investigation, leaving the families of the 36 victims seeking civic authorities in Beleshwar tragedy FP News Service PTI NEW DELHI Amit Shah, who accused the opposition of spreading misinformation over the Waqf Bill and also rebutted charges that the BJP was trying to polarise the electorate with amendments in the legislation.The first face-off happened when Syed Naseer Hussain, Congress MP from Karnataka, accused the Centre of citing false claims on no legal recourse against the Waqf Tribunal order. "They say that under the existing Act, people can’t move court if they are not satisfied with the decision of the Tribunal. 4Continued on | P8 The Lok Sabha early Thursday adopted a Statutory Resolution confirming the imposition of President's rule in Manipur with opposition supporting the decision but slamming the Centre for the situation in the state. Replying to a short debate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government has taken all possible steps to bring back normalcy in the restive northeastern state. He said there has been no violence in Manipur in the last four months, adding that talks were on with both Meitei and Kuki communities for a peaceful solution. In a much-awaited verdict, the Indore District Court has acquitted Sevaram Gokuldas Galani and Murli Teumal, the president and secretary of the Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple Trust, in connection with the devastating stepwell (Bawdi) collapse that claimed 36 lives during Ram 5-member team from Prayagraj to review preparations Nirukt Bhargava UJJAIN The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in New Delhi has stepped in to ensure that stampedes like the recent one in Prayagraj Mahakumbh do not recur during the Simhastha Mahaparva (Kumbh) to be held in Ujjain in 2028. On the instructions of the PMO, some top officials associated with the arrangements for the Prayagraj Mahakumbh are reaching Ujjain on April 7 on a three-day visit. This team will review the Madhya Pradesh government’s preparations for Simhastha. Motor pumps were out of order or power bills remained unpaid About the Nal Jal Yojna it also came to light that the drinking water could not be supplied, because the Gram Panchayats failed to foot the power bills. At some places, motor pumps went out of order, so water could not be supplied. Seventeen villagers are passing through this situation. Leakages in the pipelines, non-payment to the pump operators, and shortage of water came in the way of supplying water to villages. interest in maintaining them. After the Government of India’s report, PHE is trying to restart these projects. The Government of India told the PHE to find an alternative to operation and maintenance. After receiving instructions from the Navami on March 30, 2023. The court's decision sharply criticised the Juni Indore Police for their flawed investigation, particularly their failure to hold municipal corporation officials accountable. The court highlighted the corporation's responsibility in maintaining public safety and infrastructure, a duty they seemingly neglected. Galani and Teumal were arrested on March 22, 2024, and PMO steps in to ensure no Kumbh-like stampede Nal Jal Yojna at standstill in many panchayats BHOPAL BMC UNVEILS RECORD RS 3,611 CR BUDGET Marginal impact summer blues Centre’s assessment report brings the picture to light E-paper Edit Waqf: Control not reform P.6 US tariffs evoke mixed response from India Inc RECIPROCAL TARIFF | Export of products such as shrimp, carpet, medical devices and gold jewellery to US will be impacted Reckless MUMBAI Centre, the PHE has also surveyed the condition of the Nal Jal Yojna. 4Continued on | P8 He appeared dissatisfied with the projects related to cleaning of the water of river According to sources, the Kshipra, the widening of the visit of chief secretary Anurag main roads leading to Ujjain Jain to Ujjain on March 27 and the railway work. alerted the PMO. He spent a It is said that the CS briefed long time in the PMO before the PMO about the Simhastha returning to the state services. event in Ujjain. This is the reaDuring his stay in Ujjain, son why the PMO has dithe CS not only examrected senior ined the ground realadministrative offiities of the cials from Prayagraj Simhastha preparato go to Ujjain and tions but also chided review the preparaE XC LU S I V E tions for the Simhassenior administrative officials during tha in detail. a meeting. CS took an exAccording to governception when, contrary to the ment claims, about 65 crore truth, a responsible official people from the country and claimed during the presentaabroad had reached the Mahation that the work of convertkumbh held in Prayagraj this ing all the roads, including the year. The Uttar Pradesh govMaksi Road to Ujjain, into ernment had anticipated the four-lane had already begun. arrival of 45 crore people. Many departmental officials 4Continued on | P8 also came on his radar. SIMHASTHA 2028 FP charged with culpable homicide and other related offences. They had remained in custody until this verdict. 4Continued on | P8 Indore has over 1 lakh yoga mitras, claims Vijayvargiya Our Staff Reporter INDORE Urban administration and housing minister Kailash Vijayvargiya claimed that more than one lakh people are yoga mitras (do yoga) in the city. "Indore is No. 1 in cleanliness and aiming to become a leader in greenery, health and other areas. The city has planted 51 lakh trees last year, including more than 12 lakh trees in a single day. This year, we will also plant 51 lakh trees. Besides, this city has more than 1 lakh yoga mitras, which is a step towards a healthier Indore," the minister said at IMC council meeting on Thursday. 4Continued on | P8 26 players, coaches selected for MP Sports awards for 2023 They include 12 Vikram, 11 Eklavya, 3 Vishwamitra awards Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Madhya Pradesh Government announced Shikhar Khel Puraskar for 2023 on Thursday. A total of 26 players and coaches have been selected for Vikram, Eklavya and Vishwamitra awards. Ratanlal Verma has been selected for Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2023 for his significant contribution in gymnastics, Ujjain. Pijush Kanti Baroi (Kayaking-Canoeing) from Bhopal, Ashok Kumar Yadav (Archery) from Jabalpur and Lokendra Sharma (Hockey) from Bhopal have been selected for Vishwamitra Award for 2023. Vikram Award is given to 12 senior players, of which 6 are given in individual category, 3 in team category, 1 award in handicapped category and 1 award in traditional sports (except sports not played in Olympics, Asian Games and National Games) and 1 award in adventure sports. Vikram awardees include Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar (Shooting), Khargone, Jahnvi Srivastava (Kayaking-Canoeing), Bhopal, Ragini Marko (Archery), Jabalpur, Shivani Pawar (Wrestling), Chhindwara, 4Continued on | P8