FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms FREE PRESS Vol. XLII No. 184 | INDORE | WEDNESDAY | DECEMBER 10, 2025 | Pages 16 ` 3 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. 38281/83 www.freepressjournal.in Sports RO-KO SHOULD BE FIRST TWO NAMES P.14 RICE DUMPING Don threatens to slap more tariffs PTI NEW YORK US President Trump has said India should not Scan & Watch be “dumping” rice into the American market and promised to “take care” of the issue, stressing that tariffs will easily solve the problem. Speaking at a White House roundtable on Monday with representatives from the 4Continued on | P8 IndiGo flights slashed 10% Dhairya Gajara and Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar MUMBAI / NEW DELHI The DGCA on Tuesday ordered a 10% cut in IndiGo’s winter schedule—roughly 214 flights a day—marking the sharpest intervention against a domestic airline in recent years. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu announced the cut on the social media. 4Continued on | P8 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: INDORE MONEY ‘RBI steers ‘bank groups’ toward operational flexibility, stability’ UJJAIN PUNE BHOPAL NASHIK Cinema Tamannaah joins Shantaram biopic P.16 GIFT OF IMMUNITY TO EC: RAHUL’S CHARGE Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of first changing the law to provide immunity to officials of the Election Commission of India and then using the poll panel for indulging in “widespread manipulation of voter lists” and engaging in “vote chori” in recent elections. Speaking during the discussion on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha, the Leader of Opposition who has since August this year conducted several press conferences to allege electoral malpractices in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and various Assembly polls which followed, charged that the BJP-led NDA government granted the “gift of immunity” to the election commissioners on purpose. “No prime minister in the history of India has done what the Modi government did in December 2023 when it changed the law to grant complete immunity to members of the EC,” he said. Gandhi also asked why the law was changed to allow destruction of CCTV footage 45 days after polling and alleged that it was not a data issue but one of “stealing elections”. He claimed that there was no bigger anti-national act than “vote chori”. However, he cautioned the EC to refrain from indulging in any wrongdoing saying, “Don't worry, we will change it (the law) back and Scan & Watch will find you.” 4Continued on | P8 E-paper Edit Shrinking hours and debates P.6 RELOADED | LoP sticks to his guns on ‘vote chori’ allegations NEW DELHI MUMBAI Don’t worry, we will change it (the law) back and will find you Rahul Gandhi, Cong MP SC flags threats to BLOs PTI NEW DELHI The Supreme Court on Tuesday raised serious concern over booth-level officers (BLOs) and other officials involved in the SIR 2.0 exercise being “threatened” in West Bengal and other states, warning the Election Commission (EC) to “deal with the situation MP breaks power demand record with 18,971 MW supply Atul Gautam INDORE 3 hotel staff die of ‘food poisoning’ Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Three hotel employees died of alleged food poisoning and two are still on ventilators after having meals at a hotel in Khajuraho. In all, 11 people were hospitalised following food poisoning, according to health department officials. Others are undergirding treatment in Jayarogya Hospital attached to Gwalior Medical College. The Chhatarpur district administration, in a statement, confirmed the deaths of 4Continued on | P8 Bundelkhand set for `24k cr investment T Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Focusing on the development of Bundelkhand region, which is lagging behind other regions of the state, the cabinet meeting in Khajuraho approved a special industrial promotion package for industrial area Maswasi Grant in Sagar district on Tuesday. This package will pave the way of investment of Rs 24,240 crore and provide jobs to more than 29,000 people. The annual land lease and land allotment have been fixed at Rs 1 per square metre. The facility to pay development fee in 20 he cabinet sanctioned the action plan of Rs 397.54 crore for expansion of fire services and their modernisation. The central and state share will be 75% and 25%. Along with this, cabinet nod was given for upgradation of 12 health services in 11 districts and for creation of 348 posts. 7 suspected poachers held FP News Service MHOW/INDORE equal installment will also be provided. To encourage investors, 100% reimbursement of stamp duty and registration fees has been approved. Forest department officials caught seven people with illegal weapons during a night operation in Mhow’s Malendi area on Monday. The team found the group sitting around a bonfire deep inside the forest. Officials from the Indore forest division confirmed on Tuesday that a night patrol in the Mhow forest range led to the detention of several suspected poachers and the recovery of weapons, The intensified patrolling follows a recent leopard poaching incident that has put the division on heightened alert. 4Continued on | P8 4Continued on | P8 or it will cause anarchy”. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi said it wanted to ensure that the SIR process was carried out smoothly. “What we want to ensure is that the SIR is done on the ground without any glitches,” the bench said. It asked the EC to inform the court about any “lack of cooper- Madhya Pradesh has achieved a new milestone in the power sector by successfully meeting its highest-ever electricity demand. The state recorded a peak demand of 18,971 megawatts (MW) at 10:50 am on December 9 -- surpassing the previous record of 18,913 MW, set on December 20, 2024. Despite the unprecedented load on the grid, the entire power system -- including generation units, transmission lines and substations -- functioned smoothly, ensuring uninterrupted and safe electricity supply across the state. Officials confirmed that no major disruptions were reported during the peak period. Energy minister Pradyuman Singh Tomar praised the coordinated efforts behind the achievement. He said the record demand management reflects the dedication and technical expertise of the state’s power sector workforce. “This achievement is strong proof of the robustness of the state’s power system, better planning and a capable infrastructure,” Tomar said while congratulating all employees of the power companies. 4Continued on | P8 Power Supply Breakdown Source Type Thermal Power Hydropower Renewable Energy Other Sources (including NTPC) Power Supplied 3,872 MW 387 MW 1,792 MW 12,920 MW ation” or “hindrances to the work of BLOs”, assuring that “appropriate orders” would be passed if required. Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the EC, told the court that BLOs were being threatened, their work obstructed, and the state election office in West Bengal had been gheraoed. 4Continued on | P8 Min refuses to accept ganja trafficker as bro for her chair Our Staff Reporter BHOPAL Minister of State Pratima Bagri has swung into action to save her chair since her brother and brother-in-law were found involved in ganja trafficking. In an interaction with media persons in Khajuraho on Tuesday, Bagri said the media always tried to find relations on their own. They should first confirm and then say something on the basis of evidence, she said. 4Continued on | P8