FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. 15 No. 129 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | OCTOBER 22, 2025 | Pages 14 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 www.freepressjournal.in iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL DIWALI SALES CROSS RECORD RS 6L CRORE PTI fp Briefs MUMBAI Asrani passes away at 84 Veteran actor-comedian Govardhan Asrani passed away on Monday, sparking a wave of grief in the industry. While tributes have been pouring in from fans across social media platforms, Bollywood celebrities have also come forward to extend their final respects. LA PAZ Conservative prez in Bolivia Bolivia's first conservative president-elect in 20 years, Rodrigo Paz, injected a sharp note of realism into his plans to tackle Bolivia's economic crisis on Monday, a day after his surprise electoral victory signalled the end of decades of leftist rule in the South American nation. NEW DELHI Smog chokes NCR A day after Diwali celebrations filled the skies with firecrackers and festive smoke, the Commission for Air Quality Management on Tuesday reported an alarming deterioration in air quality across northern India. According to the latest Air Quality Index (AQI) bulletin, several cities in Haryana and the National Capital Region (NCR) have recorded “severe” and “very poor” air quality levels.Jind topped the national chart with an AQI of 421. INDORE NASHIK Japan gets first woman PM AP TOKYO The report found that 72 per cent of surveyed traders attributed higher sales volumes directly to reduced GST rates on daily-use items, footwear, garments, confectionery, home décor, and consumer durables. Consumers also expressed greater satisfaction with stable pricing, which encouraged sustained festive spending. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 underscoring a powerful comeback of India's physical markets and small traders, CAIT stated. Sector wise percentage of sales of prominent festive items included Grocery & FMCG 12 per cent, Gold & Jewellery 10 per cent, Electronics & Electricals items 8 per cent, Consumer Durables 7 per cent, Ready-made Garments 7 per cent, Gift Items 7 per cent, Home Décor 5 per cent,Furnishing & Furniture 5 per cent, Sweets & Namkeen 5 per cent, Textiles & Fabrics 4 per cent, Pooja Articles 3 per cent, Fruits & Dry Fruits 3 per cent, among others. CAIT National President B C Bhartia said services sector added Rs 65,000 crore to the sales from sectors such as packaging, hospitality, cab services, travel, event management, tent & decoration, manpower, and delivery. India upgrades tech mission in Kabul to embassy 25,000 houses for cops, 21,000 constable posts to be filled: CM PTI NEW DELHI India on Tuesday announced upgrading its technical mission in Kabul to the status of an embassy as part of broader efforts to deepen its bilateral engagement with Kabul. The announcement came over a week-and-a-half after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said during his meeting with Afghan counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi that India will upgrade its diplomatic presence in Kabul. India had withdrawn its officials from its embassy in Kabul after the Taliban seized power in August 2021. POLICE COMMEMORATION DAY Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL State government will build 25,000 houses police personnel under Mukhyamantri Awas Yojana. In next three years, all the 21,000 vacant MUMBAI E-paper Cinema Goodbye, Jailor Saab P.14 Japan's parliament elected ultraconser vative Sanae Takaichi as the country's first female prime minister Tuesday, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right. Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the Liberal Democratic Party's disastrous election loss in July. Ishiba, who lasted only one year as prime minister, resigned with his Cabinet earlier in the day, paving the way for his successor. Takaichi won 237 votes - four more than a majority - compared to 149 won by Yoshikoko Noda, Last year, the Diwali sales stood at Rs 4.25 lakh crore. Mainline retail -particularly noncorporate and traditional markets -contributed 85 per cent to total trade NEW DELHI PUNE Edit Fireworks cloud Diwali joy P.6 MKTS WELCOME SAMVAT 2082 THE ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN P.12 FESTIVE FIESTA | Powerful comeback of markets, small traders India's Diwali sales touched a record Rs 6.05 lakh crore -comprising Rs 5.40 lakh crore in goods and Rs 65,000 crore in services -- buoyed by the recent GST reform and strong consumer sentiment, traders' lobby CAIT said on Tuesday. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) based its findings on a nation-wide survey across 60 major distribution centres including state capitals and Tier 2 & 3 cities conducted by its research wing. Last year, the Diwali sales stood at Rs 4.25 lakh crore, according to CAIT. Mainline retail -- particularly non-corporate and traditional markets -- contributed 85 per cent to the total trade, UJJAIN MONEY Sports Happy Govardhan Puja ESTD-1983 posts of police constables will be filled, said chief minister Mohan Yadav while addressing Police Commemoration Day function here on Tuesday. The 25,000 houses will be constructed at the cost of Rs 5,700 crore. "We are determined to ensure housing for all. Our police personnel perform duties in the face of all odds, in all weather," he said. He also announced that 7,500 vacancies would be created annually across various ranks from constables to subinspectors as several posts are lying vacant at police stations. 4Continued on | P8 India upheld righteousness with Op Sindoor, says PM PTI NEW DELHI Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday penned a letter to the citizens of the country on Deepavali, highlighting the successes of Operation Sindoor and the fight against Naxalism and asserting that Bharat has emerged as a symbol of stability at a time when the world is beset with crises. The prime minister listed the decision to lower Goods and Services Tax rates among the historic achievements of his government and said that citizens are saving thousands of crores of rupees during the 'GST Bachat Utsav'. PTI All the 27 member nations of the European Union have unanimously backed the block's new strategic agenda with India that seeks to significantly ramp up two-way ties in several key sectors such as defence, trade and technology. The new document was released by the European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Kaja Kallas last month. The European Council comprising representatives of all the EU member nations unanimously supported it on Monday, according to EU officials. The new strategic agenda is expected to be adopted at the India-EU summit that is expected to be held in New Delhi early next year. The new strategic agenda identifies five areas of shared interest that include security and defence, connectivity and global issues, prosperity, sustainability, technology and innovation. Beyond the bilateral dimension, the new strategic agenda highlights EU-India joint engagement on global issues and 4Continued on | P8 undergoing treatment at Hamidia Hospital FP News Service ASHTA Two children have died due to alleged food poisoning in Sehore district during Diwali. As a result, the deaths turned the joy of Diwali into melancholy for the family in Kachnariya village in the Ashta block of Sehore district on Monday when three children took ill after consuming the medicines. Another child is undergoing treatment at Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal. Three FP News Service JABALPUR Hundreds of people donated blood to light diyas on the occasion of Diwali in Sihora town under Jabalpur district, as a mark of their protest. They gathered at Narmada river bank and demanded district status for their town. The protesters said that their act was not only sym- the morning. Afterwards, another girl, Vanshika, whose condition also deteriorated, was rushed to the Hamidia hospital, Bhopal. The father of the three children, a daily wage earner, Ahiklesh Malviya, said they were preparing for Diwali. Everyone in the family consumed ‘Daal Baati’ prepared for the occasion, but nothing happened to anyone. 4Continued on | P8 bizarre accident Trying to burn cockroach, woman kills neighbour Online Report SEOUL In a bizarre incident in South Korea, a woman accidentally set her apartment building on fire while attempting to kill a cockroach. The fire, which broke out in the city of Osan, resulted in the death of a neighbour and left several others injured. According to BBC, the woman in her 20s used a makeshift flamethrower (combining a lighter and a flammable spray) to burn the insect. However, the flames quickly spread to household items, sparking a fire that engulfed the apartment and spread through the building. Tragically, a woman in her 30s, a Chinese national living on the fifth floor with her husband and two-month-old baby, lost her life in the fire. As the flames and thick smoke blocked escape While the husband managed to climb across to safety, the woman fell while attempting to follow. She was rushed to the hospital but died due to her injuries hours later. The building, which houses commercial units on the ground floor and over 30 residential units above, also left multiple residents affected. routes, the couple handed their baby out of the window to a neighbour in the adjacent block. Prime Minister He also urged citizens to adopt swadeshi to promote the spirit of 'Ek Bharat, 4Continued on | P8 Dalit man beaten, forced to lick urine after urinating in temple premises Biswajeet Banerjee LUCKNOW The block medical officer of Ashta Civil Hospital, Dr Amit Mathur, said a boy and a girl died in Kachnaria village. A girl has been admitted to Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal. An inquiry is underway, and whosoever is found guilty will be punished, he said. children of the family down with diarrhoea were taken to a private clinic in Kothri village. They were discharged from the clinic at night. When the family members gave them the medicines prescribed by a doctor at the clinic, the conditions of the children deteriorated. So, they were taken to the Ashta Civil Hospital, where one of the children, Anshika, died, and then the eight-yearold boy, Vansh, lost his life in Narendra Modi Blood to light diyas: Residents demand district tag for Sihora All EU members support 2 kids die of ‘food poisoning’ strategic agenda with India Another child is Action will be taken after probe: BMO NEW DELHI Lord Shri Ram teaches us to uphold righteousness and also gives us the courage to fight injustice Shreshtha Bharat', to respect all languages, prioritise health and embrace yoga. "All these efforts will rapidly take us towards a Viksit Bharat," Modi said in his letter, which he wrote a day after he celebrated Diwali with Navy personnel onboard the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. "I extend my heartfelt greetings to all of you on the auspicious occasion of Deepavali, a festival filled with energy and enthusiasm. This is the second Deepavali after the grand construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya," he said. 4Continued on | P8 bolic, but a painful expression of decades of neglect. The incident occurred in Sihora town, just 45 kilometres away from Jabalpur. According to the protesters, the blood-lit lamps represented their frustration, as Sihora has been ignored in terms of development and administrative recognition. A Dalit man in Lucknow was allegedly beaten and forced to lick his own urine by a local man claiming to be an RSS worker after he accidentally urinated in the courtyard of a temple. The shocking incident took place at the Sheetla Mata temple in Kakori on Monday evening. The victim, identified as Rampal, a resident of Hata Hazrat Sahib, suffers from a chronic respiratory ailment. According to police sources, Rampal was sitting in the temple premises when he involuntarily urinated due to his illness. Moments later, the accused, identified as Swamikant alias Pammu, confronted him, accusing him of “defiling” the temple. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 Trophy tussle turns ugly TROPHYGATE | Naqvi holds hostage, India stands firm PTI NEW DELHI In a dramatic twist following India's Asia Cup triumph, the coveted trophy remains held at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) headquarters in Dubai, sparking a standoff between cricket boards. Pakistan ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi, who also chairs the Pakistan Cricket Board, refuses to hand over the trophy to India—demanding an in-person collection by a BCCI representative. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), supported by Sri Lanka Cricket and Afghanistan Cricket His response was that someone from BCCI should come to Dubai and take the trophy from him. So that matter has still not moved. BCCI has made its stance clear that it won't be receiving the trophy from him." ACC Source Board, has flatly rejected this condition, escalating the issue to the International Cricket Council (ICC) slated to address the matter next month. 4Continued on | P8 ACC proposes Dubai ceremony ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi has offered to host a special ceremony in Dubai on November 10 to formally present the Asia Cup trophy to the Indian men's cricket team, attempting to resolve a standoff that began after last month's final. The proposal comes after a series of letters exchanged between the ACC and BCCI, seeking to settle the diplomatic impasse that saw Indian players decline to accept the trophy from Naqvi.