FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 63 | INDORE | MONDAY | AUGUST 11, 2025 | Pages 12 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports Virat, Rohit are not in plans of BCCI for ODI World Cup 2027 P.10 ISLAMABAD Pak army chief Munir in US Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir, who is visiting Washington for the second time since the four-day conflict with India, has met top US political and military leaders, the army said on Sunday. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) "is undertaking an official visit to the United States", the army said in a statement released here. After marking a humble beginning in the Indian space programme with a tiny rocket supplied by the United States, ISRO would launch a 6,500 kg communication satellite built by the US in the next couple of months, the chairman of the space agency, V Narayanan said on Sunday. Following the historic launch of NISAR mission onboard a GSLVF16 rocket on July 30, ISRO would be launching another satellite for the US, he said at an event near Chennai. KAGOSHIMA UK F-35B in trouble again A UK Royal Air Force F35B fighter jet made an emergency landing at Japan's Kagoshima airport after experiencing a mechanical problem midair, local media reported. Some flights at the airport were delayed as a runway remained closed for 20 minutes after the incident, which was reported around 11.30 am. UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK BENGALURU been electrified. Over the past 11 years, that number has doubled to 40,000 km. India’s civil aviation infrastructure has also seen rapid growth, with the number of airports rising from 74 in 2014 to more than 160 today. National waterways have expanded from just three in 2014 to 30 now. On the export front, Modi noted that India's total exports have jumped from $468 billion in 2014 to $824 billion in 2025. Electronic exports surged from $6 billion to $38 billion, with India now among the top five mobile handset exporters globally. Similarly, automobile exports have more than doubled, making India the fourth-largest auto exporter in the world. PM Narendra Modi on Sunday credited Indian technology and the 'Make in India' initiative for the swift success of Operation Sindoor, which he said brought Pakistan to its knees within hours in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack. "The world has seen the nature of new India. They have also seen how the Make in India technology destroyed the terrorist camps hiding hundreds of kilometers away in another country. The contribution of Bengaluru and India in this success is very high,'' he said. The PM was speaking after launching Metro rail projects here. "The Indian military demonstrated the ability to destroy the terror hubs by targeting them deep inside Pakistan and bringing Pakistan to its knees within a few hours," Modi said. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Dheeraj Kumar The EPIC battle in Bihar took an interesting turn on Sunday. RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged that deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha was in possession of two EPIC cards in two different constituencies. Yadav himself is caught in a double EPIC card controversy. Yadav alleged that Sinha's name figured in Lakhisarai as well as Bankipur assembly constituencies in Patna district. Sinha, however, accused Yadav of making “false allegations” against him, and asked him to issue an apology as he had already applied for deletion of one of his cards. The RJD leader said that Sinha's age mentioned in the Some not happy with Bhagwat bats for simple, low-cost medicare, education India’s progress: Rajnath jabs Trump Our Staff Reporter INDORE Defence minister Rajnath Singh lays foundation stone of BEML Rail Coach Manufacturing Hub on Sunday. CM Mohan Yadav, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan were present. Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Taking a jibe at the US President, Donald Trump, for imposing a heavy tariff on Indian goods, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that some people are not happy with India’s progress and “are trying that things exported by India become costlier than the locally produced items…But now, no one can stop India from becoming a global power.”  He was speaking after laying the foundation stone of the Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) Rail Manufacturing Hub to come up in Umariya village of Raisen district. The programme was held at Dussehra ground in Obedullaganj. The Rs 1,800-cr hub will manufacture modern train coaches.  Ever since he took over the reins of the country in 2014, PM EPIC number issued in Bankipur constituency was 60, while another EPIC number issued in Lakhisarai had recorded it as 57. “Either he (Sinha) has signed documents for the issue of both these EPIC numbers or the entire special intensive revision (SIR) process is a fraud," Yadav added. ‘New direction to progress’ CM Mohan Yadav said that the Rolling Stock Factor of Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) will provide a new direction to the progress of Madhya Pradesh. It will benefit Bhopal, Raisen, Sehore, and Vidisha and will open a new window of development. Coming up on 148 acres of land, the unit will be directly connected to the highway, rail, and air routes. Narendra Modi has been stressing the importance of a self-reliant India, he said, even as he praised the pace of industrialisation in the state, adding that it wouldn’t be a wonder if people soon started calling Madhya Pradesh a modern state.  4Continued on | P8 Agencies NEW DELHI Operation Sindoor was akin to playing a game of chess as "we did not know" what would be the enemy's next move, Army chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi has said. Though the "Test match stopped on the fourth day", it could have been a protracted conflict, he noted. Gen Dwivedi said, "In Operation Sindoor what we did, we played chess. It means, we did not know what is the next move the enemy is going to make, and what we are going to do. This is something, we call.. the grey zone. Grey zone is that we are not going for the conventional operations. But, doing something just short of a conventional operation." He made the remarks at a function at IITMadras on August 4. The video FP News Service The Karnataka chief electoral officer on Sunday issued a notice to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, asking him to share documents based on which he had alleged that a 70-year-old woman from Mahadevpura had voted twice. Gandhi had claimed last week there was a theft of FP News Service A picnic by friends to Sahastradhara on Sunday turned tragic when one of them drowned while another went missing after entering the water to bathe at around 4 pm.   They were identified as Kunal Kaithwas (19) and Sahil Khan, both students. Kunal lost his life, while Sahil is still missing. According to Maheshwar police, Kunal of MR 10 Janakpuri and Sahil of Hira Nagar had come to Maheshwar with 11 friends. The group was enjoying at the spot. While some were cooking food nearby, Kunal and Sahil stepped into the water despite not knowing Sahil Khan 1,00,250 votes in Karnataka's Mahadevapura segment. He claimed these included nearly 12,000 duplicate voters, 40,000 PIC ANAND SHIVRE schools and hospitals has not decreased, but the facilities how to swim. They drifted into deeper water and began to drown. One of their friend, Satyam, saw them struggling and raised an alarm. Locals rushed to help and managed to pull Kunal out, but he had already died. Efforts to find Sahil continued throughout the evening without success. Police arrived at the scene and are conducting further investigation. 4Continued on | P8 Recalls spirit of service in the past Bhagwat shared a personal memory from his school days to illustrate the difference between then and now. “When I was a child and fell ill, my government school teacher visited me at home after three days of absence from school, to check on my health. On the fourth day, he even brought ‘jadi buti’ (herbal medicines) to help me recover quickly so that I could return to school. That was the culture of service teachers and doctors saw it as their duty to care for others. Today, this approach has been replaced by business-minded thinking,” he said. of his address was shared by the Army over the weekend. "Conventional operation means, go with everything, take everything you have. Here, the grey zone means any activity that is taking place in all domains, and Operation Sindoor taught us that this is the grey zone," he said. "So, we were making the chess moves, and he (enemy) was also making the chess moves. Somewhere we were giving him the checkmate and somewhere we were going in for the kill at the risk of losing our own, but that's the way, life is all about," the Army chief said. Gen Dwivedi emphasised that as far as the grey zone is concerned, it is ever present and this will remain. NEED TO BUILD ON OP SINDOOR SYNERGY: CDS Agencies NEW DELHI with fake or invalid addresses, over 10,000 registered at the same address, 4,100 with invalid photos, and around 34,000 misusing Form 6 for new voters. To substantiate the figures, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha had cited the example of one woman named Shakun Rani, alleging that she had registered twice in two months. Operation Sindoor was a testament to the tri-services synergy and there is a need to continue the reforms, coordination and adaptability to meet the evolving security challenges, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan has said. In an address at the College of Defence Management in Secunderabad, the top military officer also emphasised on a roadmap for theatre commands to enhance joint capability. As part of ongoing efforts to strengthen joint logistics and integration, the Chief of Defence Staff released the 'Joint Primer for Integrated Logistics', the defence ministry said on Sunday. This primer marks a step forward in modernising the logistics systems, ensuring that the armed forces are always equipped and prepared for any challenge, it said. It highlights core areas of logistics integration, digitisation, common provisioning and procurement and integration with national logistics framework, the ministry said in a statement. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Vadra evasive, puts onus on dead aides: ED Agencies NEW DELHI Robert Vadra, the businessman husband of Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, gave “evasive” replies during questioning regarding a 2008 “fraudulent” land deal in Shikohpur village, Gurugram, according to a chargesheet filed by the ED. The agency also said Vadra shifted the “entire onus” onto his three deceased associates to avoid responsibility. The ED further alleged that Vadra exerted “undue influence” on Haryana government officials through former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in connection with this alleged money laundering-linked real estate transaction. These allegations are Asiatic lion numbers surge 32%, touch 891 Agencies NEW DELHI new satellite populations in Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, have been centralised, forcing people to travel far and spend on accommodation and food in addition to treatment or learning,” Bhagwat said. “The society needs medical treatment which is simple and accessible. Centralisation also happens due to commercialisation; it is the era of corporations, so the education gets affected. Earlier, there were 70 educational centres in each province and people sent their children there for education. Now, students have to go far away for education. Kunal offgrid India's Asiatic lion population has recorded a significant jump, rising from 674 in 2020 to 891 in 2025, an increase of 32.2 per cent, according to the 16th Lion Population Estimation report released on Sunday. The number of adult females has grown from 260 to 330 (26.9 per cent), bolstering the species' reproductive capacity. The latest count includes RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat addressing the inauguration programme. ‘Checkmated Pakistan in a game of chess’ NEW DELHI MAHESHWAR Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended his government’s controversial plan to take full military control of Gaza City, describing it as the “speediest and most effective way” to end the ongoing war. In a press conference, Netanyahu insisted that Hamas’ continued refusal to surrender its weapons has left Israel with no alternative but to press forward with its military campaign. “Given Hamas’ refusal to lay down its arms, Israel has no choice but to finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas,” he said, adding that Israeli forces already have control over 70–75 per cent of Gaza. "People should know who is committing fraud. Lakhisarai assembly EPIC no. is IAF3939337 while Bankipur assembly EPIC no. is AFS0853341," he claimed and buttressing his claim with screenshots of the voter list. "Either the Election Commission's SIR exercise in Bihar is a fraud, or the deputy chief minister is committing a fraud.An FIR should be filed against him," he contended. Calling health and education the “two essentials of a strong and civilised society,” Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat said here on Sunday said they must be simple, affordable and accessible to every citizen, without the barriers created by commercialisation and centralisation. Speaking at the inauguration of the new Cancer Care Centre building at Madhav Srishti Arogya Kendra in Scheme No 54, Bhagwat warned that both sectors, once run on the principle of social service, were now largely profit-driven, putting them beyond the reach of ordinary people. “A healthy body can achieve everything and education depends on health. But today both have become expensive and inaccessible. The number of One Indore student Submit ‘vote chori’ proof: EC to Rahul dead, another missing in Sahastradhara IANS TEL AVIV/NEW DELHI E-paper Brand Sutra A Quiet Revolution P.12 Tejashwi takes EPIC shot at Bihar dy CM PATNA MUMBAI Edit TN charts a different path P.6 Vinay Madhava Gowda Netanyahu calls Gaza takeover plan as ‘fastest CHENNAI ISRO to launch path to end war’ 6.5K kg US sat INDORE ‘Make in India’ brought Pak to its knees: Modi FP News Service BENGALURU Briefs EDITIONS: MONEY ‘DEAD ECONOMY? INDIA SPEEDING UP IN TOP 3 GEAR’ fp iii QUALITY @ VALUE Trump’s tariff politics not a catastrophic threat to India FAST TRACK | In jibe at Trump, PM highlights ‘reform, perform, transform’ as growth driver Taking a veiled dig at US President Donald Trump’s remark describing India as a “dead economy,” PM Narendra Modi on Sunday asserted that the country is on track to become one of the world’s top three economies. He said that India’s economic momentum is driven by a clear roadmap built on reform, performance, and transformation — backed by intent and integrity. “We are rapidly moving towards becoming one of the world’s top three economies. This speed has come from our spirit of reform, perform, and transform — from clear intentions and honest efforts,” Modi said. Listing key milestones across sectors, Modi highlighted India’s transformation over the past decade. In 2014, metro rail services were available in just five cities. Today, India has a metro network spanning over 1,000 km across 24 cities, making it the thirdlargest in the world. He added that since Independence until 2014, only 20,000 km of railway lines had ESTD-1983 Jetpur and adjoining areas, and Babra-Jasdan and ad- joining areas, taking the total number of lions in satellite populations to 497 across nine locations. For the first time, 22 lions have been recorded in corridor areas. Marking the occasion, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav posted on X, "India draws immense pride from being home to the Asiatic lion. Over the last few years, our lion population has grown steadily. From 523 lions in 2015 to 891 lions in 2025, we have registered a phenom- enal success. On World Lion Day, let us resolve to protect our lions and help them thrive. My greetings to all those passionate about lion conservation." Over the past decade, the population has surged by 70.36 percent from 523 in 2015 to 891 in 2025, while the area of distribution has expanded by 59.09 per cent. Amreli district currently holds the highest number of lions in the landscape, with 82 adult males, 117 adult females, and 79 cubs. detailed in a 332-page chargesheet submitted on July 17 before a special court under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in Delhi. According to the ED, Vadra, 56, illegally gained ₹58 crore as “proceeds of crime” from the land deal. On August 2, Special Judge Sushant Changotra at Rouse Avenue Courts issued notices to all 11 accused named in the chargesheet. The court has listed the matter for hearing on August 28 and directed that copies of the chargesheet be shared with the accused. China detains foreign minister hopeful Agencies WASHINGTON Liu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat widely seen as a potential future foreign minister, has been taken away by authorities for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Liu was taken away after returning to Beijing in late July from an overseas work trip, WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Neither the Chinese minis- try of foreign affairs nor the party apparatus, including the International Liaison Department and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, have responded to media inquiries. Liu, 61, has led the Communist Party's body in charge of managing ties with foreign political parties. Since taking the role in 2022, he has travelled to more than 20 nations and met officials from more than 160 countries.