FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 109 | BHOPAL | THURSDAY | OCTOBER 2, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Gardner’s 115 from 93 balls sets Holkar Stadium on fire P.14 fp Briefs ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY Plunged into a government shutdown, the US is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programmes and services running by Wednesday's deadline. Roughly 7,50,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by the Trump administration. NEW DELHI Diwali gift: 3% DA hike In a Diwali bonanza to central government employees and pensioners, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided to increase Dearness Allowance (DA)/ Dearness Relief (DR) by 3 per cent envisaging an annual outlay of Rs 10,083.96 crore. The hike in DA and DR comes days after rationalisation of GST rates, bringing down prices of mass consumption items like ghee, paneer, butter, 'namkeen', ketchup, jam, dry fruits, coffee and ice creams, and aspirational goods like TV, AC, washing machines will become cheaper. GUWAHATI Zubeen’s manager held Zubeen Garg's manager Siddhartha Sharma and festival chief organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta were arrested from Delhi on Wednesday in connection with the singer's death in Singapore last month, the Assam Police said. The duo has been booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, criminal conspiracy and causing death by negligence, a senior police officer said. BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR 114 aspirants arrested A day after postponing the written examination for sub-inspectors, the police in Odisha's Ganjam district on Wednesday arrested 117 people, including 114 aspirants, on charges of cheating, forgery and fraud, a senior official said. PUNE INDORE NASHIK A view of a specially designed commemorative coin released by Prime Minister Modi PM Narendra Modi releases a specially designed commemorative postage stamp in New Delhi E-paper Cinema ‘Alia was never offered SSKTK ’ P.12 Demographic change endangers harmony: PM Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday described the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh as a symbol of “patriotism and service” averring that since its foundation a century ago its work has rested on the goal of nation-building, a clear path of personal development and the vibrant practice of the Shakha which remains “a ground of inspiration, where the journey from 'me' to 'we' begins”. Addressing the centenary celebrations of the RSS at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, Modi said the founding of RSS a 100 years ago was not a coincidence but rather a “restoration of an ancient tradition spanning thousands of years, wherein national conscious- MUMBAI Edit No country for women, still P.6 RSS CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS | PM hails Sangh for patriotism & service, releases commemorative coin & stamp NEW DELHI US GOVT SHUTS DOWN PRESS RBI raises GDP projection, trims inflation forecast Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar WASHINGTON UJJAIN ness manifests in new forms to meet the challenges of each era.” The PM also spoke about the modern-day challenges of “economic dependence on other nations, conspiracies to disrupt national unity, and demographic manipulation”. He said the Sangh has not only identified these but also “formulated a concrete roadmap to confront them”. 4Continued on | P8 The social harmony today has a bigger threat from conspiracy for demographic change than infiltrators which directly impacts internal security and future peace. India today faces challenges that directly target its unity, culture and security To promote internationalisation of rupee, RBI announces slew of measures PTI MUMBAI In a bid to promote the use of domestic currency for crossborder settlements, the Reserve Bank on Wednesday announced a slew of measures, including allowing banks to lend in Indian Rupees to non-residents from Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka for bilateral trade. Observing that India has been making steady progress in the use of the Indian Rupee for international trade, RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra said permission has been granted to Authorised Dealer banks to lend in Indian Rupees to non-residents from Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka for cross-border trade transactions. Besides, he proposed to establish transparent reference rates for currencies of India's major trading partners to facilitate INRbased transactions. 4Continued on | P8 n PM Narendra Modi 100 years of RSS: Bhopal saw first Shakha in 1940 The organisation began its activities in Dewas in 1929 Nitendra Sharma BHOPAL first Shakha was held in Dewas in 1929. In MP, the organisation is divided into three regions: RSS in Malwa, Madhya Bharat and Mahakaushal. On the other hand, the organisation had to wait for a long time to start its first Shakha in Bhopal. The first Shakha was held in Bhopal after the death of Keshav Baliram Hegdewar in 1940. At the end of 1939, a ‘Lathi Class’ was held in a cowshed in Bhopal, and a person named Satyanarayan Garg organised such a class. The incident has been mentioned in the RSS-related books that because Bhopal was a city of Nawabs, it was difficult for its functionaries to run the activities.  After the death of Hedgewar, a meeting was held at Shitaldas Ki Bagiya to pay tribute to him, and after the meeting, the organisation decided to hold Shakhas in the state capital.  After Dewas, the RSS Proposal to hike MLA salary, fund sent to CM started its activities in Indore, and Vinayak Sitaram Sarvate was appointed the first Sanghchalak of the organisation’s Indore unit. Ujjain saw the first Shakha of the RSS in 1930, started by Krishnarao Bedekar. The Malwa region, considered a fortress of the RSS, was the centre of its activities in the beginning. Gwalior, too, is considered a centre of RSS activities, but the Shakhas in that city began in 1938. DEATH OF 7 KIDS IN CHHINDWARA Probe begins, NCDC collects drug and water samples District admin bans two cough syrups FP News Service BHOPAL/CHHINDWARA The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has collected water and drug samples from hospitals in the Chhindwara district of MP, where seven children died after consuming cough syrup. NCDC, the government’s nodal agency for disease surveillance, will test the possibility of any infectious disease. The state drug authorities are also testing the drug samples, and their results are awaited. The collector of Cough syrup not contaminated, says Dy CM eputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla on Wednesday denied the contamination of cough syrup. He said preliminary investigation did not confirm any contamination. The health department is handling the situation which is under control, he said. D MANDSAUR’S NARANG IS SPL DIRECTOR IB The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is completing 100 years this Vijaya Dashami falling on Thursday. For the RSS, it took four years after its foundation to start Shakha in MP, and its Allowance may rise from `1.10L to `1.65L Our Staff Reporter A proposal to increase salary and allowances of MLAs, as well as their constituency development fund, has been sent to Chief Minister Mohan Yadav for consideration. The Parliamentary Affairs Department forwarded the proposal in August and a committee is now expected to be formed to examine it. If approved, the total monthly package of an MLA would increase from the current Rs 1.10 lakh to approximately Rs 1.65 lakh — a 50% hike. Moreover, 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 T CURRENT MLA PAY STRUCTURE n MLA currently receives Rs 1,10,000 per month. This includes a salary of Rs 30,000, telephone allowance of Rs 10,000, medical allowance of Rs 10,000, stationery allowance of Rs 10,000 and computer operator allowance of Rs 15,000. A the MLA fund may be raised from Rs 3 crore to Rs 5 crore to meet rising development de- 4Continued on | P8 FP News Service mands in constituencies. he Assembly Speaker receives Rs 1,85,000 per month, which includes Rs 47,000 as salary, Rs 48,000 as hospitality fund, Rs 45,000 as election area allowance, and Rs 45,000 as daily allowance. The Leader of Opposition draws Rs 1,70,000 per month as salary and allowances. Chhindwara, Sheelendra Singh, has imposed a ban on the sale of two cough syrups. MANDSAUR The town celebrated appointment of IPS officer Manmeet Singh Narang as special director of Intelligence Bureau (IB). A 1994-batch IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre and a native of Mandsaur, would hold the special director post for two years. The appointment was officially announced by the department of personnel and training, Union ministry of home affairs, as part of a reshuffle involving 11 senior IPS officers. WHAT TOP OFFICIALS GET BHOPAL 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Aussie Cheers Australia’s Sophie Molineux celebrates with teammates the wicket of New Zealand’s Suzie Bates during the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup match between New Zealand and Australia at Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore ‘BJP forcing people BCCI’s impeachment threat: Naqvi XPR-25 marks watershed to stand up for Nat’l hands over trophy to UAE Board moment in country’s Anthem at gunpoint’ FP Online submarine rescue journey ‘India welcome to collect Asia PTI SRINAGAR PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday accused the BJP of coercing people in Kashmir to stand up for the national anthem at "gunpoint." She said that the people chose to not stand up while the national anthem was played was a failure of the government. "It is unfortunate that the BJP has pushed this place to a spot where they are forcing people to stand for the national anthem at gunpoint. I re- member my student days, we used to stand in respect of the national anthem whenever it was played. There was no coercion. It is their failure," Mehbooba told reporters during a visit to a playground in the Baghat area of the city. She was responding to a question about police detaining a dozen youths who were seen sitting while the national anthem was played at the TRC football ground on Tuesday evening. 4Continued on | P8 P akistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has reportedly handed over the trophy to the Emirates Cricket board after BCCI pushed for accusations of impeachment over the Asia Cup Trophy row. With the Indian team yet to be handed over the trophy, Naqvi has given it to the UAE board but it is yet to be determined how or when the Men in Blue will get it. With the Indian team refusing to collect the trophy from Cup from me at ACC office’ Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday said the Indian team is "welcome" to collect the Asia Cup trophy from him at the continental body's office head office here as controversy around the champions being denied the top prize continued to rage. In a post on X, Naqvi rejected reports claiming that he, at the ACC AGM on Tuesday, apologised to BCCI officials for his actions at the presentation ceremony on Sunday when he walked away with the trophy after the Indians refused to accept it from him. Naqvi, the latter was seen standing at the podium for quite some time before leaving the venue. 4Continued on | P8 Hurun India Rich List 2025 SRK ENTERS BILLIONAIRE CLUB IANS MUMBAI Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan is now the richest entertainer in the world. The actor has now officially become a billionaire with an estimated wealth of Ambani pips Adani to become the richest Indian, again Despite a 6 per cent dent in fortune, Reliance Industries' Mukesh Ambani has reclaimed his title as the richest Indian in 2025, overthrowing rival Gautam Adani, as per a list of wealthiest in the country published on Wednesday. The 68-year-old Ambani's fortune declined 6 per cent to Rs 9.55 lakh crore, and was far ahead of Adani's Rs 8.14 lakh crore, as per the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2025. $1.4 billion. As per the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2025, Shah Rukh Khan has officially en- tered the billionaire club. This milestone places him among the wealthiest entertainers globally. Notably, his wealth surpasses that of several international celebrities, including Taylor Swift ($1.3 billion), Arnold Schwarzenegger ($1.2 billion), Jerry Seinfeld ($1.2 billion), and Selena Gomez ($720 million). Agencies NEW DELHI The Indian Navy marked a milestone in its undersea operations with the successful deployment of its Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) Tiger X during a multinational submarine rescue exercise called XPR25, hosted by the Singapore Navy. For the first time, India's submarine rescue system operated outside the Indian Ocean Region, executing a full-spectrum rescue drill in the South China Sea that saw the Indian DSRV dock with allied submarines under simulated conditions. XPR-25, conducted between September 15-25, brought together more than 40 countries and their naval contingents. Structured in two phases -- a shore phase (September 15-20) and a sea phase (September 21-25). 4Continued on | P8 The DSRV Tiger X deployed Maiden dive in South China Sea he defining moment came on September 23, when India's DSRV Tiger X carried out its maiden dive outside home waters. The mini-submersible first achieved mating with South Korea's submarine Shin Dol-Seok (S-082). Shortly after, it docked with Singapore's submarine RSS Invincible, completing two successful matings. T