FP The publishers permit sharing of the e-paper's pdf on WhatsApp and other social media platforms Vol. 15 No. 243 | BHOPAL | SUNDAY | FEBRUARY 15, 2026 | Pages 16 ` 4 | Regd. No. Indore MP/ICD 216/2024-2026 | RNI No. mpeng/2010/35815 FREE www.freepressjournal.in Sports Black Caps fight back to post 175 P.15 ESTD-1983 iii QUALITY @ VALUE EDITIONS: BHOPAL UJJAIN WORLD PRESS PUNE INDORE NASHIK MUMBAI E-paper Nation 18% tariff vs 0%: Rahul slams... P.7 ‘India climate spending has risen to GDP’s 5.6%’ Cinema Reimagined: Love, lust and ... P.14 GROWTH DRIVE | The fund will leverage market finance and private participation for delivery of high-quality urban infrastructure PWD’s Master Plan for road network Cabinet clears `1L-crore Urban Challenge Fund BHOPAL Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar NEW DELHI The Union Cabinet has approved the launch of the Urban Challenge Fund (UCF) with a total Central Assistance (CA) of Rs. 1 lakh crore for creating a Rs 4 lakh investment in the urban sector over the next five years. This decision, the Cabinet said, also marks a paradigm shift in India’s urban development approach from grantbased financing to market-linked, reform-driven and outcome-oriented infrastructure creation. The Urban Challenge Fund will leverage market finance and private participation for delivery of high-quality urban infrastructure by building resilient, productive, inclusive and climate-responsive cities. The money would be used to develop cities as ‘growth hubs’ and for the creative redevelopment of cities and making provisions of water and sanitation in them. The plan envisages raising a minimum of 50 per cent of project financing through fp Briefs WASHINGTON Trump: Regime change in Iran would be best President Donald Trump said Friday that a change in power in Iran "would be the best thing that could happen" as the US administration weighs whether to take military action against Tehran. Trump made the comments shortly after visiting with troops at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, and after he confirmed earlier in the day that he's deploying a second aircraft carrier group to the Mideast. THE PLAN The Fund will be operational from FY 2025–26 to FY 2030–31, with an extendable implementation period up to FY 2033–34. Under this the Central assistance of Rs 1 lakh crore will cover 25% of the project cost, subject to raising minimum 50% of the project cost from the market. market sources, including municipal bonds, bank loans and Public–Private Partnerships (PPPs). The remaining share would come from States, Union Territories (UTs), Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) or other sources, the Cabinet decided. As for the projects, it said, these will be selected through a “transparent and competitive challenge mode, ensuring support to high-impact and reform-oriented proposals”. The plan also involves creating a dedicated Rs 5,000 crore corpus to enhance the creditworthiness of 4223 cities including Tier- II and Tier-III cities, particularly for firsttime access to market finance. The fund, the Cabinet said, will cover all cities with a population of 10 lakh or more as per 2025 estimates and all major industrial cities with a population of 1 lakh or more. 4Continued on | P8 Our Staff Reporter The Public Works Department (PWD) has come up with a Road Master Plan which envisages strengthening the road network by turning twolane roads into four-lanes in many  identified regions of the state. Along with this, it focuses on Green Fields to cut short the transportation cost and travelling time. The unique feature of the master plan is that it also GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a historic touchdown at the Northeast's first Emergency Landing Facility in Assam's Dibrugarh districtModi took off from the Chabua airfield after his arrival and landed at the Emergency Landing Facility BHOPAL The Department of Public Relations (DPR) has again witnessed a change. It has been the fifth change in the department in two years. In a transfer list of IAS officers issued at 2am on Saturday, Manish Singh was given the charge of the Public Relations Department. When the state government was formed, Singh was the commissioner of the department. Afterwards, Vivek Porwal, Sandeep Yadav, Sudam Khade, 4Continued on | P8 Credit - AI COLOMBO SET FOR ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN COLOMBO: Colombo simmers as India face Pakistan in ICC Men's T20 World Cup at R. Premadasa Stadium Sunday. Fans debate, hotels glow blue-green. (Detail report on Sports Page) CM Yadav announces mini-airport in Burhanpur On ninth day of 10-day 'Shiv-Navratri Festival' at Mahakaleshwar Temple, the presiding deity was adorned in 'Shiv-Tandav' form in Ujjain on Saturday (FP Photo) Inaugurates 80 devpt projects worth Rs 696 cr FP News Service BURHANPUR Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday announced that a mini-airport would be constructed in Burhanpur district to boost regional CM Yadav holds mega roadshow in Burhanpur connectivity. Yadav was in the district to inaugurate CM YADAV TRANSFERS and lay the foundation stone of develRS 1,800CR TO LADLI BEHNA opment projects. He performed the hief Minister Mohan Yadav transferred bhoomi poojan and virtually inaugurated over Rs 1,800 crore to women benefici80 development projects worth Rs 696.37 aries across the state through a single crore, giving fresh momentum to the disclick during a grand Ladli Behna Conference trict’s comprehensive development. He at the Mandi premises in Pandhana constisaid that the inaugurated projects would tuency of Khandwa on Saturday. The amount play a significant role in developing Burmarked the 33rd installment distributed under the Ladli Behna Yojana. He said that hanpur and making it self-reliant. C 4Continued on | P8 more than Rs 50,000 crore has been credited directly into the accounts of women so far. Student’s SC battle secures MBBS seat FP News Service JABALPUR In a landmark victory for educational equity, 20-yearold Atharva Chaturvedi successfully argued his own case before the Supreme Court while paving the way to secure an MBBS admission and EWS reservations in private medical colleges. Despite scoring 85% in Class 12 and qualifying NEET, JEE Main, and JEE Advanced, Atharva was repeatedly denied a seat due to Madhya Pradesh’s restrictive EWS policies. Refusing to yield after the Madhya Pradesh High Court focuses on wildlife tourism (tiger corridor). The tiger corridor road project is likely to boost tourism in various national parks. The upcoming project of Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) consists of 21 projects, with an overall cost of Rs 29437.57 crore and total (ELF) in Moran on a stretch of National Highway-37. The PM, after inaugurating the ELF, said, "It is a matter of immense pride that the Northeast gets an Emergency Landing Facility." ''From a strategic point of view and during times of natural disasters, this facility is of great importance," Modi said on X. NHAI status of works (Phase 1) Project name Length Capital cost Indore Bhopal Green Field High Speed corridor Bhopal Jabalpur Green Field High Speed Corridor Indore Ring Road (western & eastern bypass) Jabalpur Damoh Section of NH 34 160 km Rs 9,716 crore 255 km Rs 7,650 crore 141 km Rs 6,500 crore 100 km Rs 2,000 crore length 1579.49 km. Under this, one of the roads is Misrod to Obaidullaganj which would be sixlane with paved shoulders. It will come up under Hy- (see nation) PTI DHAKA PM Modi upon his arrival at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF), in Dibrugarh district, Assam A C-130J aircraft of the Indian Air Force, carrying Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lands at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF), in Dibrugarh district, Assam Barnwal is overloaded; another transfer list may be issued after Budget Session and Deepak Saxena held the command of the department. In the transfer list, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav preserved the respect of the officers loyal to him. Saxena, who was shifted from Public Relations, was posted as excise commissioner. Similarly, Sandeep Yadav, who was the principal secretary (PS) of the health department, was sent to the forest department. After the release of the transfer list, the additional chief secretary, Ashok Barnwal, has been overloaded. ight projects of the MPRDC focus on four -lane roads with paved shoulders in different areas of the state. Except Khalghat-Manawar four-lane, all others will come under HAM. Khalghat –Manawar-four lane road’s estimated cost is Rs 1440 crore and length 48 km. The work will be carried out in BOT mode. The work of Bhopal-Vidisha four-lane with paved shoulders will be done in HAM mode and its length will be 44.83 km. Its estimated cost is Rs 1617 crore. The Eastern Bhopal By-Pass four-lane road’s length is 52 km and its cost is Rs 3544 crore. The Narmadapuram-Pipariya 4- lane road length is 70 km and it will come up at a cost of Rs 1285 crore. E brid Annuity Model (HAM) and its length will be 19.3 km. Its estimated cost is Rs 301.36 crore. 4Continued on | P8 Tarique Rahman PM’s historic touchdown at air NE’s first emergency airstrip clears orderon IndiaB’ties Says law & at any cost in desh DPR witnesses fifth change in two years Our Staff Reporter Eight projects focus on four lane dismissed his plea, Atharva personally drafted his petition and appeared during the hearing via video conferencing. 4Continued on | P8 Tarique Rahman, who steered his BNP to a landslide election win on a 'Bangladesh First' agenda, made his stance clear on future ties with India on Saturday. In his first address after the BNP's decisive win, Rahman said the "interests" of Bangladesh would be the basis of his foreign policy with India. "The interests of Bangladesh and its people will determine our foreign policy," Rahman, who is likely to be sworn in as the next prime minister of Bangladesh, said. This is in line with his earlier assertion that a BNP government would maintain balanced ties with regional powers like India, China and Pakistan and not treat any country as its "master". Meanwhile, Rahman said extradition of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina "depends on the legal process." The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader's comments at a press conference here came a day after one of his senior colleagues reiterated the party's firm stance on seeking Hasina's extradition from India to face trial. 4Continued on | P8