FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 40 | INDORE | FRIDAY | JULY 18, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports From West Ham to Women’s League Glory - Aditi bows out, not down P.14 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY India should negotiate trade pact with US on its own term, says Dev UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit The great global oil game P.10 Cinema Of cycles, bikes and Salman P.16 MP SWEEPS SWACHH SURVEKSHAN | Indore wins for the 8th time, Bhopal cleanest capital; Ujjain, Budni, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Dewas, Rewa, Shahganj and Satna shine across categories INDORE TOPS SWACHH LEAGUE, BHOPAL 2ND IN SWACHH SHAHAR Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL/INDORE In Indore, cleanliness is more than a civic responsibility — it’s a deeply ingrained way of life. So when the results of the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 were announced on Thursday, there was neither suspense nor surprise on the streets. With an astounding 99.75% score, Indore once again reigned supreme, securing its eighth consecutive national cleanliness title — this time as the top city in the newly launched “Super Swachh League.” Unlike other cities that may have waited with bated breath, Indore’s residents went about their day calmly. No one reached for the remote to check the results — they already knew. The legacy of being India’s cleanest city has become their second nature. Their slogan, “Super se Upar”, echoed like a prophecy fulfilled as President Droupadi Murmu handed over the award at a glittering ceremony organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in Delhi. But Indore was not alone in upholding Madhya Pradesh’s banner high. In a sweeping show of civic excellence, several cities from the state fea- fp Briefs JERUSALEM Netanyahu loses majority A key ultra-Orthodox ally in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has announced its departure from the cabinet, marking a serious setback that could potentially leave Netanyahu presiding over a minority coalition, Al Jazeera has reported. BAGHDAD Iraq mall fire kills over 60 A fire engulfed a newly opened shopping centre in eastern Iraq, killing more than 60 people, including children, Iraqi officials said Thursday. Civil defence teams rescued more than 45 people who became trapped when the fire broke out late Wednesday in the city of Kut in Wasit province, the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Rank wise Swachh Survekshan Award CITIES Bhopal Jabalpur Gwalior RANK 2nd 5th 14th tured prominently across various categories. Bhopal, which was earlier ranked fifth among cities with a population of over one million, jumped to second place under the prestigious “Swachha Sahar” Presidential Award. It also retained its position as the cleanest capital in the country, reaffirming its consistency. Jabalpur impressed with a fifth-place finish in the same million-plus population bracket and was also ranked second in sustainability and inclusion among Ganga towns and religious centres. Gwalior followed at fourteenth, earning the Promising City Award for its significant strides. Meanwhile, Ujjain shone brightly in the 3 to 10 lakh population group, topping the category under the Super Swachh League. Budni, a smaller town, was declared the cleanest in the under20,000 population segment. Dewas also brought glory to the state by clinching the top rank in the 50,000 to 3 lakh category under the “Swachha Sahar” award, while Shahganj claimed the top spot in the below-20,000 population category nationwide. The sheer breadth of recognition didn’t stop there. Indore, Bhopal, and Jabalpur were all awarded 7-star ratings — the highest cleanliness accolade — while Dewas, Rewa, and Satna followed with strong 5-star scores, proving that the spirit of sanitation has taken deep roots across urban Madhya Pradesh. (More reports on page 3 & 6) 4Continued on | P8 Category Door to Door Source Segregation Waste generation vs Processing Remediation of dumpsites Cleanliness of residential areas Cleanliness of market areas Cleanliness of water bodies Cleanliness of public toilets UAD minister Kailash Vijayavargiya and Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargav receive Swachh Survekshan-2024 award from President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on Thursday. IANS MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal available in the markets and also by prevailing global circumstances. We would particularly caution against any double standards on the matter," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi. ‘Not worried by US rider on Russian oil’ Ashwin Ahmad The government on Thursday stressed that it was not “unduly worried” about secondary sanctions. The stand articulated by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri came in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s recent threat that 100% secondary tariffs would be imposed on nations buying oil from Russia, and showed once again that India would not be toeing the West’s line on Ukraine. The minister’s statements were echoed by the MEA asserting that securing India’s energy needs remained the main concern of the government. Speaking at the Urja Varta 2025, an annual upstream oil and gas conclave, Puri said that the large global supply ensured that India would have more than enough oil to meet its needs even if there was a crackdown on Russian oil. Pointing out that India currently buys oil from over 40 countries, he said that the global market had more than enough supply to meet New Delhi’s energy needs. 4Continued on | P8 Earlier this week, Rutte, during his visit to Washington, stated that China, India and Brazil could face severe economic sanctions if they continue doing business with Russia. "If you are the President of China or the Prime Minister of India, or the President of Brazil, and you are still trading with Russia and getting their oil and gas, then you know: if the man in Moscow doesn't take the peace negotiations seriously, I will impose 100 per cent secondary sanctions," Rutte said. 4Continued on | P8 SC allows MP HC to interview prospective civil judges PTI NEW DELHI NIMISHA CASE ‘Friendly countries’ working for India MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that “friendly countries” are interceding on India’s behalf to ensure Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya can be released. Priya who has been accused of killing Yemeni national Talal Abdo Mehdi in 2017 was arrested in 2020 and sentenced in 2023. Her death sentence which was set for July 16 has now been postponed. 4Continued on | P8 The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday filed a charge sheet against Robert Vadra, the businessman husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Haryana's Shikohpur, official sources said. This is the first time that any probe agency has filed a prosecution complaint naming the 56-year-old Vadra in a criminal case. The federal investigative Cong cries corruption, probe on The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Madhya Pradesh High Court to conduct interviews and declare results of the Civil Judge, Junior Division (Entry Level) Exam 2022. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar asked the high court to go ahead with the process after it was informed that 77 candidates had cleared the main civil judges exam. 4Continued on | P8 BHOPAL A major mishap was narrowly avoided in MP Nagar on Thursday after a portion of the main road, recently repaired and asphalted for the Global Investors Summit (GIS) 2025, suddenly caved in during heavy rainfall. Fortunately, no pedestrians or vehicles were present at the time of the collapse. According to eyewitnesses, the road sees daily movement GAME RECAP Beating Carlsen always feels special. But staying consistent across rounds is the real challenge. I’m happy with how I played.” Praggnanandhaa in international chess. 4Continued on | P8 agency, sources told PTI, has also attached 43 immovable properties worth Rs. 37.64 crore pertaining to Vadra and his linked entities like Sky Light Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. and others. A provisional attachment order was issued by the agency on Wednesday under the PMLA, they said. Sources said the charge sheet has been before the Rouse Avenue court here under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). 4Continued on | P8 PWD clarifies cause Our Staff Reporter ANI top spot in Group A and continuing his meteoric rise PTI NEW DELHI PRE-GIS ROADWORK SINKS Pragg stuns Carlsen in Vegas In a stunning statement on the global chess stage, 19year-old Indian Grandmaster Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa delivered a shocking defeat to World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen during Round 4 of the Las Vegas Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, securing the 100% 92% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99% Round 4 Result: Praggnanandhaa (White) def. Carlsen (Black) in 39 moves Time Control: 10 minutes + 10-second increment Style: Tactical precision, controlled aggression Key Moment: Mid-game positional switch left Carlsen under relentless pressure RANK 1st (Over 10 lakh) 1st (3-10lakh) 5th (below20K) 2nd (10 lakh) 1st (50k-3lakh) 3rd (below 20k) Jabalpur Gwalior ED chargesheets Vadra, attaches 43 properties Ashwin Ahmad NEW DELHI Vegas Victory LAS VEGAS 100% 94% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 99.75% 99.25% AWARD CATEGORIES CITIES Super Swachh League Indore Super Swachh League Ujjain Super Swachh League Budni Swachh Shahar Bhopal Swachh Shahar Dewas Swachh Shahar Shahganj Best Saifai Mitra Surakshit Shahar Promising City award NEW DELHI NEW DELHI 100% 98% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% AWARDS AND CITES WITH RANK AND POPULATION ARE AS FOLLOW India cautions NATO chief against double standards on Russia ties Reacting strongly to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's recent comments on countries engaging in business with Russia, India on Thursday reiterated that there should be no "double-standards" on the matter. "We have seen reports on the subject and are closely following the developments. Let me reiterate that securing the energy needs of our people is understandably an overriding priority for us. In this endeavour, we are guided by what is TOTAL PERCENTAGE INDORE AHMEDABAD SURAT of thousands of commuters and is one of the busiest stretches in the city. The collapsed section measured approximately 9 feet in depth, 3 meters in length and 1.5 meters in width. 4Continued on | P8 Bhopal’s Public Works Department (PWD) chief engineer Sanjay Kumar Maske has clarified the cause of the pit formed on Chetak Bridge Road near Jyoti Talkies. The road, under PWD since 2002, has an old underground stone-wall drain built nearly 50 years ago. Covered by the municipal corporation and obstructed by a public toilet, the drain could not be inspected and continuous water absorption from nearby drains weakened the wall, leading to the collapse, the chief engineer said. AI-171: AAIB CAUTIONS AGAINST SPECULATION Dhairya Gajara MUMBAI The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has alleged that certain sections of international media have been repeatedly attempting to speculate through unverified reporting of the AI-171 crash. On the same lines, the Indian pilots’ body said that the deceased pilots deserve respect instead of unfounded character judgements. After the US-based Wall Street Journal newspaper reported that the investigation of Air India’s AI-171, that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 killing 260 people, is now focused on the flight’s captain, AAIB has urged the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives. It highlighted that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Karnataka blames RCB & KSCA for Bengaluru stampede, to lodge case Vinay Madhava Gowda BENGALURU The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday accepted the judicial commission report holding Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), event management company DNA and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) responsible for the stampede during the IPL victory parade on June 4 that left 11 people dead and 47 injured. The cabinet decided to file criminal cases against RCB, KSCA and others. The Justice Michael D'Cunha Commission had submitted its report to the government last Friday. The Commission was set up fol- lowing the stampede when all the stakeholders started pointing fingers at one another and the government came under criticism for the lapses at the function organised near the Vidhana Soudha. The report attributed the stampede to gross negligence, unprofessional planning, and a complete disregard for public safety by the RCB team management, DNA Entertainment Networks, and KSCA.