Saturday, May 3, 2025 | 36 Pages | `5 & for State (+4 pages) `6 Reg.No MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 1541/1957 M.p.c.s office Mumbai. PIN 400001 THE FREE PRESS JOURNAL Vol. 68 No. 180 | Leader in E-paper circulation l www.freepressjournal.in ● EDITIONS: ● MUMBAI ● INDORE ● PUNE ● BHOPAL ● NASHIK ● KONKAN ● E-paper ● Member: Audit Bureau of Circulation (July to December 2024) NATION About 21 Pakistani nationals remain stranded at the AttariWagah border Briefs Delhi storm delays flights An intense storm with heavy early-morning rain hit Delhi on Friday, causing a house collapse that killed a woman and her 3 kids and delaying 200+ flights, even as the city grappled with widespread waterlogging, raising concerns over the monsoon preparedness of government and civic agencies. The IMD said this was the secondhighest 24-hour spell of rain witnessed in May since 1901. Authorities received 300 complaints about uprooted trees and branches falling as the storm, with a wind speed of 80 kmph, hit Delhi in the early hours, damaging several vehicles. S&P puts growth @ 6.3% S&P Global Ratings on Friday revised India's economic growth forecast for FY2025-26, trimming it by 0.2 percentage points to 6.3%. The revised forecast arises amid uncertainties surrounding the US tariff policy, and its potential spillover effects on the global economy. The global rating agency has lowered its GDP growth forecasts for most countries and raised the inflation forecast for the US as its sees a material slowdown in growth, but does not foresee a US recession at this juncture. The risks to baseline remain firmly on the downside in the form of a stronger-than-anticipated spillover from the tariff shock to the real economy. Channi kicks up a storm Congress MP Charanjit Singh Channi on Friday stoked controversy as he raised questions on the surgical strike by the Indian Army in PoK in retaliation for the Uri attack in 2016. Attacking the Centre over its answer to the Pahalgam massacre, he said “nothing happened" on the ground as “nobody knew anything about it". He attacked the BJP and said Indian Army’s surgical strike in 2016 was “nowhere to be seen". GAMES Cinema Aamir urges investment in cinema infrastructure RCB aim for second victory of the season against hapless Chennai Super Kings Edit Ukraine-United States minerals deal BALANCING ACT | United States Vice President JD Vance says India’s response to Pahalgam attack should not lead to a broader regional conflict US caution against escalation Agencies WASHINGTON U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on Thursday Washington hoped Pakistan would cooperate with India to hunt down Pakistan-based militants, and that India's response to the attack does not lead to a broader regional conflict. "Our hope here is that India responds to this terrorist attack in a way that doesn't lead to a broader regional conflict," Vance And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they're responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with. That's how we hope this unfolds. JD Vance, U.S. Vice President said in an interview on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" show. "And we hope, frankly, that Pakistan, to the extent that they're responsible, cooperates with India to make sure that the terrorists sometimes operating in their territory are hunted down and dealt with. That's how we hope this unfolds," Vance added. Vance's comments are the closest the U.S government has come since the April 22 attack in which 26 people were killed to potentially linking Pakistan to the attack. He framed his respnse to the question if he was Biswajeet Banerjee Turning a busy stretch of highway into a makeshift military runway, the Indian Air Force (IAF) showcased its aerial prowess on the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on Friday. As part of a strategic drill near Jalalabad in Shahja- hanpur, advanced fighter jets including Rafale, Sukhoi Su30MKI, and Jaguar executed touch-and-go landings on a specially prepared airstrip, drawing cheers from mesmerized onlookers. The show began just after 12:40 PM with an AN-32 transport aircraft performing initial rounds before landing on Agencies NEW DELHI the expressway. It was followed by a series of powerful takeoffs, landings, and aerial maneuvers by a fleet of fighter jets and helicopters. The spectacle lasted nearly 90 minutes and served as a demonstration of the IAF’s ability to respond swiftly using alternative infrastructure. Adding to the significance, the exercise includes night landings by combat aircraft — a first on any Indian expressway. The Katra-Jalalabad highway will remain shut for three hours to accommodate the operation, which aims to test the airstrip's capability to support round-the-clock military use. 4Contd on | nation UNSC keeping close eye on tensions PTI UNITED NATIONS The UN Security Council could meet "sooner rather than later" to discuss the situation between India and Pakistan, and this would be an opportunity to express views and to help diffuse tensions, UNSC President said, voicing concern over rising tensions between the nuclear- armed South Asian neighbours. "Of course, if a request comes for a meeting, then...I think this meeting should take place because, as we said, maybe it's also an opportunity to have views expressed and this might help to diffuse a bit tensions. We will see," Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations and President of the Security Council for the month of May, SHARIF'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL BLOCKED Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's YouTube channel was blocked in India on Friday. "The content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order," read a message on the blocked channel. The government had earlier blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading "false, provocative and communally sensitive content" about India. Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to skip Russia's Victory Day celebrations on May 9 in Moscow. Rajnath was to visit Moscow in place of PM Modi, who was invited by Russia to attend the parade, but his trip was cancelled due to Pahalgam attack. Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth is expected to represent India at the parade held to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Germany in World War II. “The entire country awaits accountability, answers, and justice,” the Congress Working Committee said in a resolution on Friday, demanding a probe into the security lapses leading to the Pahalgam terrorist attack. It also sought compensation for the victims and their proper rehabilitation. In another resolution, the party called for a comprehensive caste census and withdrawal of the 50% cap on quotas. The CWC meeting, held at the party’s previous headquarters at 24 Akbar Road, was attended among others by Congress Parliamentary Party leader Sonia Gandhi, her son and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and party president Mallikarjun Kharge. The pain of the 26 families who lost their loved ones was offgrid the pain of the entire nation, the resolution on Pahalgam carnage read. “This is a time for demonstrating our collective will as a nation to teach Pakistan a lesson and curb terrorism decisively,” it said and insisted that “the masterminds and perpetrators of this cowardly attack must face the full consequences of their actions.” The Congress also urged the Centre to “act with firmness, strategic clarity, and international coordination to isolate and penalise Pakistan for its continued export of terror into our territory.” At the same time, the CWC said it wanted “time-bound accountability into the serious lapses in security and intelligence in one of the most heavily guarded regions of the country” as the “people of India deserve transparency and accountability.” 4Contd on | nation 2 years on, `2000 notes circulating PTI The high value Rs 2000 notes worth Rs 6,266 crore are still in circulation after two years of the Reserve Bank withdrawing the currency, according to official data. The Rs 2000 banknotes continue to be legal tender. On May 19, 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced the withdrawal of Rs 2000 denomination banknotes from circulation. In a statement on Friday, Coming to the rescue of a family of six who allegedly overstayed their visa, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the authorities not to deport them to Pakistan till their citizenship claim was verified. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh directed that a decision be taken at the earliest, though it did not set any time limit, Live Law reported. The bench cautioned against taking any coercive action against the petitioners till a decision is taken. It also clarified that its order shall not be treated as a precedent. As the petitioners, Ahmed Tarek Butt and his five family members, claimed that they have Indian passports and Aadhaar cards, the SC asked the authorities to verify their documents. Observing that the issue involves a human angle, the bench said: "If the petitioners are dissatisfied with the final decision, they can approach the Jammu & Kashmir & Ladakh High Court." The family, which lives in Kashmir and whose sons work in Bengaluru, faced deportation to Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack. 4Contd on | nation INDEX LAUNCHED Prajakta Pol VIKRANT JHA Maharashtra took a major step toward strengthening its creative economy on Thursday, as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis unveiled the WAVES Index an initiative by the National Stock Exchange (NSE) to attract investment into the audio-visual and entertainment industries. The announcement was made at the inaugural World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), hosted in Mumbai. Fadnavis also revealed that the state has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹8,000 crore to support the development of world-class studios and educational institutions. “I am very happy that the WAVES Summit took place in Mumbai, and I thank the Union government for giving Maharashtra the opportunity to host it,” he said. “International visitors have praised the RBI said the total value of Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation, which was Rs 3.56 lakh crore at the close of business on May 19, 2023, when the withdrawal was announced, declined to Rs 6,266 crore at the close of business on April 30, 2025. "Thus, 98.24 per cent of the Rs 2000 banknotes in circulation as on May 19, 2023, have since been returned," the central bank said. The facility for deposit and/or exchange of such banknotes was available at all bank branches till October 7, 2023. However, this facility is still available at the 19 issue offices of the Reserve Bank. Since October 9, 2023, RBI issue offices are also accepting Rs 2000 banknotes from individuals and entities for deposit into their bank accounts. Further, people can also send Rs 2000 banknotes through India Post from any post office within the country to any of the RBI issue offices for credit to their bank accounts. this summit, saying there is no other event of such scale and quality in the region. Maharashtra can and will play a leadership role in this sector.” The newly launched WAVES Index includes 42 companies and is expected to play a vital role in encouraging investments in the creative economy. Fadnavis described it as one of the summit’s key achievements. “We have finalised extremely important MoUs worth ₹8,000 crore. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | waves It will track investment into entertainment industry. Also, MoUs worth Rs 8,000 cr finalised to support development of studios and educational institutions Give voice to traditions: Jaishankar PTI MUMBAI External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said pluralism has been in the past suppressed by colonialism and big power dominance, and it was essential to give voice to traditions, heritage and ideas amid attempts to democratise the world order. Technology and heritage must go hand in hand, he declared. Addressing the Global Media Dialogue along with Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw at the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit TEACH PAK A LESSON: CWC Tharoor by his side, Rajnath may skip parade MUMBAI 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation SC pauses deportation Expressway drill signal to Pakistan SHAHJAHANPUR not worried about India and Pakistan by saying, oh sure we are worried anytime a hotspot breaking out especially between two nuclear powers. We have obviously been in close contact between out friends in India and Paksitan. The U.S. State Department has said it was in touch with both countries at multiple levels and Secretary of State NSE’S WAVES PM dig at Congress FPJ News Service (WAVES) here, he also made a strong pitch for smoother mobility for talent to contribute to stronger creativity. Amid increasing influence of artificial intelligence, the External Affairs Minister cautioned that irresponsible use of emerging technologies will be an increasing preoccupation and reducing bias, democratising content, and prioritising its ethics were all part of the emerging discourse. "The truth is that the world is essentially, intrinsically and essentially diverse, and that 4Contd on | nation 4See also | waves HC DECLARES KANJURMARG PROTECTED FOREST Urvi Mahajani MUMBAI MUMBAI Prime Minister Narendra Modi found a new way to pick at Congress, this time via the Thrivanthapuram MP Sashi Tharoor who flew to his constituency from Delhi in order to be able to greet the Prime Minister who had come to commission the Vizhinjam port on Friday. Tharoor was subsequently at the event along with the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He explained his presence through a post on X: “Despite delays at the dysfunctional Delhi airport, managed to land in Thiruvananthapuram in time to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his arrival in my constituency. Looking forward to his officially commissioning Vizhinjam port, a project I have been proud to have been involved with since its inception.” The Prime Minister lost no opportunity to take a dig at the Congress remarking, “Hamare mukhya mantriji se bhi main kehna chahunga, aap to Indi Alliance ke bahut bade majboot pillar hai. Yaha pe sashi Tharoor bhi baitein hai aur aaj ka ye event kai logo ke neend haram kar dega...Wahan message chala gaya jaahan jaana tha.” He was implying that now that Tharoor had gone out of his way to meet him and greet him and be at the same function, it was enough to give Congress sleepless nights. The Prime Minister's comments follow Tharoor’s earlier praise of the Modi-led government over a number of issues, including India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and navigating diplomatic talks with US President Donald Trump. Prime Minister Modi’s interaction with Shashi Tharoor on the stage drew attention. While the Prime Minister greeted the other dignitaries perfunctorily, he had a prolonged conversation with Tharoor, holding his hand, smiling. Tharoor has been criticised for being soft on the Prime Minister on occasion. 4Contd on | nation 4See also | nation In a significant decision, the Bombay High Court on Friday restored the status of 119.91 hectares of the Kanjurmarg dumping ground as a protected forest, ruling that the Maharashtra government’s 2009 notification de-notifying the land was invalid. The court held that the notification violated the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and had been issued without the mandatory prior approval of the central government. A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Somasekhar Sundaresan, however, permitted the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to use the ground for three months, till it identifies an alternate site. The HC has disposed of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Vanashakti that challenged the conversion of forest land into a municipal dumping ground. Setting aside the impugned notification dated Dec 29, 2009, the court stated that the land, part of salt pan areas along the Thane creek, had seen natural mangrove growth over time, classifying it as CRZ-1 land under environmental regulations. 4Contd on | nation