FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 232 | BHOPAL | WEDNESDAY | FEBRUARY 4, 2026 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports MP paddles to dominance at National Sprint Championship P.15 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL MONEY UJJAIN PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Edit US deal shows India’s strength P.6 US tariff cut positive for labour-intensive sectors: Moody's Cinema I am in love with India: Tal Kravitz P.16 Govt will slowly NDA MEET | India-US trade agreement will open new doors of opportunities for every Indian, says Amit Shah impose VAT cut on US deal big decision that petrol, diesel: CM will benefit everyone: PM As state won’t get its share of Central taxes on basis of poverty and suffering, it will work for increasing GDP: Yadav Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Managing petrol and diesel is a major challenge for the state government, although it is encouraging electric vehicles. It cannot ignore the sources of income but will slowly impose cuts on the VAT. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who plans to find a solution to these problems in the upcoming budget, made the statement in reply to a question on VAT on petrol and diesel at a press conference on Tuesday. About the reduction of state’s share in the central taxes, Yadav has said it is not going to happen that the state will get funds from the Central Government on the grounds of poverty or the state being large. The states, which have more GDP will get more funds, he said, adding that the states can help people mitigate their sufferings, but they will not get their share of central taxes. Taking such a decision on the basis of the recommendations of the 16th Finance Com- fp Briefs NEW DELHI SC to hear Mamata’s plea The Supreme Court will hear on Wednesday a plea filed by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee challenging the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state. Banerjee may attend the apex court on Wednesday during the crucial hearing on a batch of petitions challenging the SIR of electoral rolls in the state. JAMMU Encounter in Udhampur An intense gunfight lasting nearly an hour rattled a remote forest area in Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur district on Tuesday after security forces trapped two to three suspected Pakistani terrorists of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit inside a natural cave, officials said. One of the terrorists was hit during the encounter but managed to retreat into the cave, even as the Army inducted paratroopers and a sniffer dog squad to neutralise the holed-up terrorists, the officials said. JAIPUR 2 foreigners detained Posters supporting Palestine and opposing Israel surfaced at several locations in Pushkar, Ajmer district, and two foreign nationals have been detained in this connection. The individuals were identified as British citizen Lewis and his female companion, Aneshi, who had entered India on tourist visas. mission requires guts, he said. According to Yadav, the state government is working on such schemes as can fetch more funds from the Centre. The state will also make efforts to increase its GDP, the Chief Minister said. It is a boon for MP to get funds for the development of tier-II and tier-III cities, he said. MP is one of the three states whose capital expenses are the highest in the country, Yadav said, adding that the employment rate is also lower, whereas in terms of population, it is the fifth largest state in the country. BJP’s state president Hemant Khandelwal, in charge of the state party unit Mahendra Singh, and Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda were present at the press conference. Can’t play with right to privacy: SC slams Meta & WhatsApp PTI Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told a parliamentary party meeting of National Democratic Alliance MPs that the India–US trade deal was a “big decision” that would “benefit everyone in the country.” At the meeting, Modi was received and felicitated by senior NDA leaders, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP president Nitin Nabin, Nationalist Congress Party leader Praful Patel. The NDA partners also lauded him for reaching trade agreements with the European Union, United Arab Emirates, Mauritius, Australia, the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, while briefing the media about the meeting, said the Prime Minister told members of the NDA that the alliance’s success was due to its “people-friendly policies” and “sustained hard work”. He also cautioned the lawmakers to not become “complacent” due to successes of the past and to focus on serving people to the best of their ability. CABINET DECISIONS Our Staff Reporter 4Continued on | P8 Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday described the trade deal with the US as one that “the public had been waiting for many months” and a “a historic turning point that will reshape India-U.S. relations and accelerate our journey towards Viksit Bharat 2047” Modi ‘compromised’, claims Rahul Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday charged that the Indo-US trade deal announced by US President Donald Trump and subsequently Prime Minister late on Monday night was a “sell off” and that the Indian premier “compromised” the country’s interests because he was under pressure due to the Epstein files revelations Not received any message about stopping oil purchases: Russia Russia has not heard any statements from India about stopping Russian oil purchases, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. His comments came a day after US President Donald Trump claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "agreed to stop buying Russian Oil, and to buy much more from the United States and, potentially, Venezuela." "We haven't heard any statements from New Delhi on this matter yet," Peskov said. Rijiju said the PM also told the NDA MPs that, “Winning one election after the other was all due to their good work.” Noting that “elections can’t be won without being on the ground”, he exhorted them to “be on the ground and do good work for the welfare of the people.” The minister said the PM also spelt out “broad guidelines” for the NDA lawmakers from both the Lok Sabha on how they should be moving ahead with welfare work and their parliamentary responsibilities. Writing about the meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah wrote on "X" that all MPs congratulated the PM on the his- Free registry of plots allotted to Sardar Sarovar dam oustees NEW DELHI In a stinging rebuke to global tech giants, the Supreme Court on Tuesday told Meta Platforms Inc and WhatsApp that they cannot "play with the right to privacy of citizens in the name of data sharing" and alleged that they were creating a monopoly in the market and committing theft of private information of customers. Decrying WhatsApp's privacy police, a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi referred to "silent customers" who are unorganised, digitally dependent and unaware of the implications of datasharing policies, and asserted, ‘Historic turning point’ NEW DELHI BHOPAL The registry of residential plots allotted to the displaced people of Narmada valley’s Sardar Sarovar dam project will be free of cost. The state government will bear the entire registry cost, which would amount to Rs 600 crore. A decision to this effect was taken in the cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. The Narmada Valley Development Authority will compensate the liable registry and stamp duty as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). This decision will benefit 25, 600 families living in four districts, Alirajpur, Jhabua, Badwani and Dhar. Apart from this, the cabinet gave consent for continuation 2 irrigation projects get green signal The cabinet gave its nod to two irrigation projects of Maihar and Katni. The cost of both projects is Rs 620 crore. Approval has been given for Dhanwahi Micro Pressure Irrigation project of Maihar and Katni. Its cost is Rs 53.73 crore. This will create an irrigation facility in 3500 hectares and 2810 farmers of nine villages will be benefited. Likewise, the Barhi Micro Lift Irrigation Project in Katni district, costing Rs 566.92 crore has also been approved. It will benefit 11,500 farmers of 11 villages of Barhi and Vijayraghavgarh tehsil of Katni. It will create an irrigation facility in 20,000 hectares of land. MP Rajya Samaj Kalyan Board dissolved The cabinet approved the proposal to dissolve the Madhya Pradesh Rajya Samaj Kalyan Board and to merge employees with the women and child development department. of 10 projects from 2026-27 till 2030-31, approving a sum of Rs 15009 crores. According to the approval, Rs 115.6 crores has been earmarked for 8 schemes of less than Rs 500 crore of the finance department. Likewise, a sum of Rs 5000 crore has been sanctioned for the Mukyamantri Jankalyan (Sambal 2.0) scheme of the labour department, more than Rs 3,376. 66 crores for assembly constituency area election plan, establishment and office 4Continued on | P8 toric India-US trade deal and that "this agreement will open new doors of opportunities for every Indian." He added that, "This deal, which will give a new momentum to our economy, will not only boost employment but will also prove to be a milestone in realizing our resolve to make India a leader in every sector by 2047." ‘Delayed delivery of judgment is identified ailment’ NEW DELHI: The practice of reserving judgments for months by high courts without making them public is an "identifiable ailment" that must be eradicated, the Supreme Court said on Tuesday while highlighting the need to ensure timely delivery of justice. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi was hearing a plea 4Continued on | P8 Rahul again raises China issue, 8 Cong MPs suspended Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI Eight Congress MPs were on Tuesday suspended for the remainder of the Budget Session from the Lok Sabha for protesting vociferously against the denial of opportunity to the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to read from what he claimed was an authenticated article on the unpublished memoir of former Chief of Army Staff General M.M. Naravane (retired) -- titled ‘Four Stars of Destiny’ -- that gave a detailed account of the IndoChina clashes in 2020 and the handling of the situation by the Centre. Gandhi had raised the issue during the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address on Monday too but was not allowed to speak then as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objected to it. Speaker Om Birla had also not allowed him to speak on the issue citing Rule 349(1) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, which says, “a member shall not read any book, newspaper or letter except in connection with the business of Khemchand Singh to be next Manipur CM Woman Kuki leader to be deputy CM FP News Service NEEMUCH An Anganwadi worker died while saving children from a swarm of honeybees in Ranpur village of Neemuch district on Monday afternoon. According to reports, the incident occurred when the children were playing outside the Anganwadi centre in Madawada Panchayat and were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of bees from a nearby hive.  children.  Seeing the danger, Kanchan In the process, she was reBai Meghwal, president of the peatedly stung by the bees. ‘Jai Mata Di’ self-help She was rushed to hosgroup and the centre’s pital in a critical concook, allegedly rushed dition, where doctors to protect them withdeclared her brought out thinking about her dead. Her body was own safety. handed over to the She wrapped the family after a post-morterrified children in a Kanchan Bai tem examination on tarpaulin sheet and a Meghwal Tuesday. floor mat and sent them inside Villagers said Kanchan Bai a room, while she stood bewas the sole support of her tween the bees and the family as her husband Shivlal suffers from paralysis. The couple have a son and two daughters. Local residents are now afraid to approach the Anganwadi because the beehive remains on a tree nearby, while the only handpump in the village is also in the Anganwadi premises. Residents urged the district administration to remove the hive immediately and provide financial assistance to Kanchan Bai’s family. where Singh and Kipgen's names are expected to be endorsed. Sources said Singh, a former minister, was elected as leader of the Manipur legislature party at a meeting of BJP MLAs held at the party headquarters here. Except for two BJP MLAs, who are unwell, all other party legislators attended the meeting. Former chief minister N Biren Singh, 4Continued on | P8 offgrid India demonstrates solid fuel ducted ramjet tech Joins elite league of nations PTI BALASORE India on Tuesday successfully demonstrated the solid fuel ducted ramjet (SFDR) technology from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the Odisha coast, a defence statement said. According to experts, SFDR is a missile propulsion system and is required for long-range air-to-air missiles being developed by DRDO. It can also be used for surface-to-air missiles, he said. "The successful demonstration places India into an elite league of nations possessing this technology that enables developing longrange air-to-air missiles to give a tactical edge over the adversaries," the statement said. The demonstration was carried out by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). All the subsystems, including nozzle-less booster, solid fuel ducted ramjet motor and fuel flow controller, performed as per expectations after being initially pro- pelled by a ground booster motor to the desired Mach number, it said. Mahatma Gandhi’s statue stolen in Melbourne, India condemns PTI PTI Y Khemchand Singh was elected as the leader of the BJP legislature party in Manipur on Tuesday, paving the way for the formation of a popular government in the northeastern state with him as chief minister. Nemcha Kipgen, a woman Kuki leader and former minister, is likely to be the deputy chief minister in the new Manipur government when it is formed, sources said. A meeting of the legislators of all constituents of the National Democratic Alliance will be held on Tuesday night, 4Continued on | P8 NEW DELHI NEW DELHI Anganwadi worker dies saving kids from bee swarm the House”. Just as on Monday the issue led to commotion in Lok Sabha, leading to multiple adjournments before the House was finally adjourned for the day, today, too, the House adjourned multiple times over the matter before adjourning for the day due to protests by Opposition MPs. But things got out of hand when some MPs allegedly threw bits of paper towards the Well while protesting. It was past 3 p.m., when the House assembled for the third time following adjournments, that Chair Dilip Saikia mentioned a list which stated that Congress MPs Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Gurdeep Singh Aujla, Hibi Eden, Dean Kuriakose, Prashant Padole, Kiran Kumar Reddy, S Venkataraman and Manickam Tagore had raised slogans and thrown paper bits in the Well of the House. "The performance of the system was confirmed by the flight data captured by a number of tracking instruments deployed by ITR, Chandipur along the coast of the Bay of Bengal," it said. The launch was monitored by senior scientists from various laboratories of DRDO, including Defence Research and Development Laboratory, High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Research Centre Imarat and ITR. India on Tuesday strongly condemned the theft of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Melbourne and demanded immediate action to recover it. The bronze statue was allegedly removed from the community centre at Rowville in Melbourne in the early hours of January 12, according Australian media. " W e strongly condemn the vandalisation and removal of the Mahatma Gandhi statue located at the Australian Indian Community Centre in Rowville, Melbourne, by unidentified people," external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. "We have strongly raised the matter with Australian authorities and urged them to take immediate action to recover the missing statue and hold the culprits accountable," he said. The statue weighing 420 kg was cut from its base with a grinder, leaving only the feet, according to media reports. The statue was gifted by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and was unveiled by former prime minister Scott Morrison in 2021.