FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 43 | BHOPAL | SUNDAY | JULY 27, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Smith issues warning to England P.16 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL WORLD UJJAIN PUNE INDORE NASHIK Cinema First steps, giant stumble P.14 RAIN FURY BATTERS STATE, SCHOOLS SHUT, DAMS OVERFLOW Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL fp Briefs NEW DELHI Modi tops global approval ratings Prime Minister Narendra Modi has once again emerged as the most popular democratic leader globally, securing the top spot in the latest ‘Democratic Leader Approval Ratings’ released by USbased intelligence firm Morning Consult. With a remarkable 75 per cent approval rating, PM Modi continues to lead the international stage in public opinion. Commuters cross waterlogged road through benches at Alpana Tiraha in Bhopal Monsoon Meter Flash flood risk Bajag Udaipura Gadarwara Biaora Mawai Badi Sidhi Singrauli Kotma Pipariya Baldevgarh Lanji oderate to high flash flood risk has been flagged inAnuppur, Balaghat, Chhindwara, Damoh, Dindori, Jabalpur, Katni, Mandla, Narsinghpur, Niwari, Sagar, Seoni, Shahdol, Singrauli, Tikamgarh, Umaria, Ashoknagar, Agar Malwa, Betul, Barwani, Bhopal, Burhanpur, Dewas, Dhar, Guna, Harda, Indore, Jhabua, Khandwa, Khargone, Raisen, Rajgarh, Ratlam, Sehore, Shivpuri, Shajapur, Ujjain, Vidisha and Hoshangabad. M Gwalior sees highest monsoon rain in 90 years he Gwalior-Chambal region has witnessed record-breaking monsoon rains, with 674.5 mm rainfall in July alone, surpassing the previous record of 623.3 mm set in 1935. In the past 24 hours, Gwalior city recorded 171.4 mm (6.75 inches) of rainfall till 11:30 PM Friday. Consequently, the Tigra Dam gates were reopened due to water overflow. The officials expect July's total to reach 700 mm. With 926 mm of rainfall so far this season, this marks the highest since 1990. T floodwaters swept away a culvert, cutting off road access to several Baiga tribal villages, including Tatma, Malumjhola and Mangarwada under Ban- Indo-Pak clash on Sept 14 India and Pakistan are set to meet in the marquee 2025 Men’s Asia Cup group stage clash on September 14. In the detailed fixtures announced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on Saturday, India will also face UAE and Oman on September 10 and 19 respectively. is not acquainted with recruitment process: Bhuria Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Minister for Scheduled Caste Welfare Nagar Singh Chouhan has alleged that agents are ac- The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) will soon introduce a dedicated module on Operation Sindoor for school students across Classes 3 to 12, education ministry sources said. inches of rain. In Shahpura tehsil, schools were closed for safety. 4Continued on | P8 tive in the recruitment of Anganwadi workers. Chouhan released a video, saying that he had received complaints about the agents demanding money for recruiting Anganwadi assistants. Some officers and employees are hand in glove with the agents, he alleged. Through the video, Chouhan appealed to people not to give a single penny to such people. Recruitment will be done Nagar Singh Nirmala Bhuria only on merit, he said, adding that women should not come under the influence of anyone. Reacting to the statement, the minister for the Women and Child Welfare Department, Nirmala Bhuria, spoke to the Free Press Journal on Sat- urday. She said the minister who made such allegations may not have been acquainted with the process for recruitment. Total transparency is maintained in the recruitment, and marks are given to a candidate only on merit, she said. Afterwards, a merit list is prepared on the basis of marks, and those who get good marks are recruited, she said. 4Continued on | P8 India will get credit for GI products: Maldives hails ties with India Goyal on Prada-Kolhapuri row NEW DELHI Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Saturday termed the India-UK free trade agreement as "gamechanging" and said that it will benefit every section, including the farmers, youths, entrepreneurs and MSMEs. The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA), also called Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, was signed by Goyal and his counterpart Jonathan Reynolds in the pres- NEW DELHI NCERT module on Op Sindoor nala bridge disrupted connectivity. Chhoti Bagh river in Bahela continued to rise, threatening nearby villages.Dindori reported 2.5 178.0 mm 163.0 mm 144.0 mm 144.0 mm 137.8 mm 137.0 mm 127.0 mm 122.0 mm 114.0 mm 112.4 mm 112.0 mm 110.0 mm Four of family die after consuming poison in Sagar Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Four members of a family committed suicide by consuming poison in Khurai area of Sagar district during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. A suicide note left by the head of the family was found which mentions that the land owned by him should be distributed among three brothers. Rs 1.20 lakh cash was found in the almirah and it looks that it was kept for distribution among the remaining family members. Khurai police said that Manohar Lodhi (42), his daughter Shivani (19) and son Aniket (16), Manohar’s mother Phool Rani (70) have killed themselves by con- Khurai police station in-charge Yogendra Singh Lodhi said prima facie, family reason is likely behind the incident suming poison in Tehar village. It seems that they entered into a suicide pact. The reason behind the tragic step is unknown and investigation is underway. Shivani was a bright student and was preparing for NEET. When contacted, Khurai police station in-charge Yogendra Singh Lodhi told Free Press that prima facie, family reason is likely behind the entire incident. Family members of the Serve at borders, we’ll take care of family: Soldiers get legal lifeline Agencies SRINAGAR The National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), in collaboration with the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and the Jammu and Kashmir Legal Services Authority, on Saturday launched the Veer Parivaar Sahayata Yojana 2025 at the North Zone Regional Conference on "Reaffirming the Constitutional Vision of Justice for Defence Personnel and Tribals" held at Sher-iKashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar, according to an of- ficial statement. According to a statement from the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA), presided over by Justice Surya Kant, Judge of the Supreme Court of India and Executive Chairman of NALSA, a deeply inspiring address was delivered. He recalled the words of Kashmiri Sufi poet Peerzada Ghulam Ahmad Mahjoor: "Come, O gardener, create the glory of a new spring; make the flowers bloom, and let the nightingales sing once again!" 4Continued on | P8 victims said that Manohar’s wife had left home three years back and started living at her parent’s home. Sources said that a suicide note was found which asked for suggestions about dealing with the property the family had. Manohar stated that the land should be distributed among his remaining three brothers in an equal manner. Three buffaloes should be given to aunt. It is learnt that the deceased had also transferred at least Rs 68k to the account of one of her aunts. Moreover, he had kept Rs 1.20 lakh in the almirah for distribution to the remaining family members. 4Continued on | P8 Woman faints during test, ‘gang-raped’ in ambulance GAYAJI: A woman here has alleged that she was gangraped inside an ambulance which drove her to a hospital after she fainted during a government recruitment test, police said on Saturday. Two persons, identified by the complainant who had appeared at a recruitment drive for home guards, have been arrested, they said. "When the woman fainted, on July 24, she was rushed to the Anugrah Narain Medical College and Hospital at Gayaji in an ambulance. After she regained consciousness, she alleged that she was raped inside the vehicle," said SP (Town), Gayaji Ramanand Kumar Kaushal. See Nation Agents active in Anganwadi recruitments: Min EOW busts insurance scam Minister who using fake death certificates made allegations Agencies DUBAI darwadi Panchayat. Lanji in Balaghat recorded 4.5 inches of rain in 24 hours, triggering fears of flooding. Overflowing water at Katang- E-paper Readers’ Corner Kill, Earn, Equip P.6 Immigration killing Europe, warns Trump MONSOON MAYHEM | Flood-like situation prevails in several districts Heavy rain lashed several districts of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, triggering flood-like conditions and disrupting normal life. Schools remained closed in Singrauli, Dindori and Gwalior as a precautionary measure. Gwalior witnessed severe waterlogging with rainwater entering the official bungalow of Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar. In Narmadapuram, nine gates of Tawa Dam were opened. Water release was also reported from Bargi and Barna dams, said district collector Sonia Meena. Gopad river swelled dangerously in the Sidhi–Singrauli region, while three gates of Johila Dam at Sanjay Gandhi Thermal Power Station in Umaria were opened.Sanjay Kumar, joint collector ofSingrauli, said: “District administration declared a holiday for schools due to heavy rainfall. By noon, water had started receding in the district.” In Sidhi, swelling Gopad river led to a flood-like situation in low-lying areas. Officials said the administration is on high alert. In Bhopal, Saturday morning rains caused heavy waterlogging from Bharat Talkies to Alpana Tiraha on Hamidia Road. Commuters to and from Bhopal Railway Station had to wade through flooded streets. In Raisen’sUdaipura region, heavy rainfall was reported. In Mandla's Bandarwadi village, MUMBAI ence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Goyal attributed the successful signing of the FTA to Prime Minister Modi's leadership. Citing the recent Prada-Kolhapuri sandal row, the minister said that with the implementation of the FTA with the UK, India will get the credit for its GI (Geographical Indication) products. 4Continued on | P8 Now, it’s juttis After the Kolhapuri chappal debate, Prada has once again stirred controversy in India. And this time, over its latest footwear that looks eerily similar to traditional Indian juttis. Social media is calling out the brand for what many see as another round of cultural repackaging without the proper credit. MALE: Hailing ties with India, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Saturday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark twoday visit to the country, asserting that it has given a major boost to the bilateral ties between the two neighbours. Maldives President Muizzu also called PM Modi a "wonderful" person, expressing appreciation for the efforts that the Indian leader has made over the last 11 years to put IndiaMaldives relations on a new trajectory. Students tie rakhis to Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi at the Kargil War Memorial prepared logistics support and combat support. "Today’s Indian Army is not only successfully ad- dressing current challenges but is also rapidly advancing as a transformative, modern, and future-oriented The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) has exposed a large-scale scam in the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), in which gangs used fake death certificates to claim insurance payouts worth crores. The scam was spread across the Gwalior and Chambal divisions and involved forging documents for both deceased and living individuals to extract Rs2 lakh per fraudulent claim. After complaints, the EOW Gwalior unit launched an investigation and discovered that several gangs were systematically mis- force. Under this, new allarms brigades named ‘Rudra’ are being formed, and I approved it yesterday. This will have fighting components like infantry, mechanised infantry, armored units, artillery, special forces, and unmanned aerial systems, supported by tailored logistics and combat support," General Dwivedi said. Similarly, agile and lethal special forces units, 'Bhairav' Light Commando Battalions, have been established to shock the enemy on the border, the Army chief said. 4Continued on | P8 using the government scheme by making fake death certificates of living persons and manipulating documents of deceased individuals to re-register them as alive and then deceased again. The EOW officials said that insurance companies operating in the region were asked to furnish records of claims settled between January 2020 and December 2024. 4Continued on | P8 The Ministry of Education has issued a directive to all states and Union territories mandating them to conduct audits of safety mechanisms and facilities for children in schools, officials said on Saturday. The Education Ministry has also called for schools to ensure the structural integrity of buildings. This comes a day after a portion of a government school in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district collapsed on Friday, killing seven children and leaving 28 injured. "States and UTs must take urgent steps to ensure students' safety and well-being. This includes mandatory safety audits of schools and child-related facilities as per national safety codes, training for staff and students in What is PMJJBY PMJJBY is a government social security initiative providing Rs 2 lakh life insurance coverage to individuals aged 18 to 55 years at a minimal annual premium of Rs 436. In case of the policyholder’s death, the insured amount is transferred to the nominee’s bank account. The scheme is facilitated through banks and eight private and public insurance companies. Modus operandi Investigations revealed that Deepmala Mishra, linked to an NGO called Anti-Corruption Foundation of World, allegedly misled poor and semi-literate individuals by promising loans and benefits, collected their documents and got fake death certificates issued. Bank accounts were opened in their names and after claims were settled, the accused withdrew the money using passbooks, cheque books, and ATM cards in their possession. Mandatory to conduct safety audit in schools: Centre tells states, UTs NEW DELHI Rudra brigades, Bhairav battalions boost to Army The Indian Army is going to set up an "all-arms brigade" which will be known as "Rudra" under which fighting components like the infantry, mechanised infantry, armoured units, artillery, special forces, and unmanned aerial systems have been integrated, Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi announced on the occasion of the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas on Saturday. Two of the Army's infantry brigades deployed in border areas have already been converted into Rudra, which will receive specially Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL PTI Kargil Vijay Diwas NEW DELHI Over 14 booked Ministry recommends collaborations with local authorities, NDMA, fire services, police, and medical agencies emergency preparedness, and the provision of psychosocial support through counselling and peer networks," a senior MoE official said. "Structural integrity, along with fire safety, emergency exits, and electrical wiring, must be thoroughly assessed. It must be ensured that staff and students are trained in emergency preparedness, including evacuation drills, first aid, and safety protocols," the official said. 4Continued on | P8 Stop horrible invasion: Trump’s big immigration warning for Europe Online Report US President Donald Trump on Saturday said that "immigration was killing" Europe and warned that it "needs to get its act together". Speaking to reporters in Scotland, he said that "many" European countries need to stop this "horrible invasion". "On immigration, you better get your act together. You're not going to have Europe anymore. You got to get your act together," he said. “You got to stop the horrible invasion that's happening to Europe, many countries in Europe,” Trump, whose father, Fred, and mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, emigrated to the US from Europe, said. He also said that "some" leaders have not let it happen, and they're not getting the "proper" credit. See World