BHUBANESWAR l thursday l july 02, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late CITY EDITION Indigo launches ‘lite fare’ for flyers with only cabin baggage IndiGo has introduced an entry-level ‘Lite’ fare for passengers travelling on both domestic and international flights with only cabin baggage Available when booking directly with airline weeks after Air India’s ‘basic fare’ launch Lite fare can be availed when booking tickets directly with the airline including the website, mobile application and contact centre. The low fare option will be applicable for both domestic and international nonstop routes for adult and child passengers, the airline said in a statement. It will be available only for economy class passengers ■ ■ “Customers will enjoy a lower base price with an auto-assigned seat at no additional cost, and a cabin bag allowance of up to 7 kgs,” the airline, operated by InterGlobe Aviation, said in a statement It comes weeks after Tata Group’s Air India introduced its own basic fare, where it gave the option to opt out from complimentary meal 2,100 Flights operated daily by Indigo, which is India’s largest airline CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Mexico break knockout curse Mbappe show in NYNJ At the rate Les Bleus are going, the others may as well stop bothering right now. Against Sweden, they dazzled with Kylian Mbappe adding two more goals to his tally. He’s now level with Lionel Messi with six. Michael Olise also sparkled with two more assists In front of a heaving Azteca, Mexico were all over Ecuador like a rash and scored the goals to take them to the last 16. It was their first knockout win at the World Cup in 40 years and the residents emptied out on to the streets to celebrate the landmark. With them playing the last 16 game also at the Azteca, there’s promise of more glory Kane and able England survive Congo Harry Kane scored two second-half goals to help England rally for a 2-1 win over DR Congo and a spot in the round of 16 on Wednesday. England’s all-time leading scorer and captain helped team to evade one of the biggest upsets in World Cup after trailing in first half Bill to axe arrested CM may be back Controversial Constitution Amendment Bill may figure in the Monsoon session Ra j e s h K uma r T haku r @ New Delhi Today’s matches: Spain vs Austria: 12.30 AM*, Portugal vs Croatia 4.30 AM*, Switzerland vs Algeria 8.30 AM* ( IST Friday) Odisha unveils India’s first universal KG-to-PG free education programme E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar In a first-of-its-kind decision in the country the Odisha cab, inet on Wednesday approved free education for all students from kindergarten (KG) to postgraduate (PG)-level in government and government-aided institutions. The cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, approved the Gyanodaya-Shiksharu Samruddhi scheme, which will waive all fees for students pursuing regular courses in government and government-aided educational institutions from the current 2026-27 academic session. In his post-cabinet briefing, Majhi described it as a transformative initiative ensuring that no student is denied education because of financial hardship. “The cabinet has approved a historic decision. Gyanodaya is not merely a fee-waiver programme. It is a commitment to ensure equal educational opportunities for every child and youth in Odisha, irrespective Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi chairing the cabinet on Wednesday | express Gyanodaya is not merely a fee-waiver programme. It is a commitment to ensure equal educational opportunities for every child and youth. No student will be deprived of education or forced to discontinue studies due to financial constraints – Mohan Majhi, CM of their economic background. No student in Odisha will be deprived of education or forced to discontinue studies due to financial constraints,” Majhi said. While education from KG to Class VIII was already free in the state, the new scheme extends the benefit to students studying in Classes IX to XII, as well as those enrolled in regular undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in government universities, gov- ernment colleges and government-aided colleges. The chief minister said the initiative would make quality education more accessible, equitable and affordable while significantly reducing the financial burden on families, particularly those from economically weaker and socially disadvantaged sections. The cabinet has approved an estimated expenditure of `895.57 crore for the first year of implementation and Cabinet approves `579 crore Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan road corridor E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @Bhubaneswar In what would be one of the most ambitious urban infrastructure project in the capital city, the state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday cleared the 9.5k m J ay d e v Vi h a r- N a n dankanan road, which will transform connectivity between Bhubaneswar and Cuttack. Briefing mediapersons after the cabinet meeting at Lok Seva Bhawan, chief secretary Anu Garg said the project will be executed on a turnkey basis by Dineshchandra R Agrawal Infracon Pvt Ltd, the lowest bidder at `579 crore. The project is targeted for completion within 24 months. The Works department had earlier accorded administrative approval for the project at an estimated cost of `949.35 crore in January this year. The corridor, stretching from Kalinga Stadium (Gate No. 4) to Raghunathpur bridge, will be widened from six lanes to an eight-lane carriageway with express read Feedback before textbook finalisation Labour dept files plaints against middleman Bhubaneswar: The state government will seek feedback from educationists, experts and general public before finalising the revised school textbooks for printing, School and Mass Education secretary N Thirumala Naik said on Wednesday. Naik said the revised textbooks will soon be uploaded on the department’s and Odisha School Education Programme Authority’s websites to invite feedback from educationists and public. After considering the suggestions and feedback received, the textbooks will be finalised and published | P2 Keonjhar: Ten days after the deadly ammonia gas leak claimed 17 lives, including 14 from Keonjhar alone, the district Labour department on Wednesday filed a case against Srikant Juanga, who allegedly recruited the tribal workers for the seafood processing factory in Tamil Nadu’s Thiruvallur district. Srikant was booked after the Labour office filed complaints against him at several police stations in the district. The victims’ families had alleged that Srikant lured poor youths from the Juanga community and took them to Tamil Nadu | P4 service roads and modern traffic infrastructure. A key feature of the project is the construction of four flyovers at Jaydev Vihar (cable-stayed bridge), Kalinga Hospital Square, Damana Square and KIIT Square along with improvements at Kalarahanga Junction. The project also includes service roads, slip roads, pedestrian subways, underground parking, drainage systems, bridges, roundabouts, road safety measures, lighting, landscaping and avenue plantation.  Continued on P5 `5,467.55 crore over five years. More than 32 lakh students will benefit from the scheme annually . The scheme, however, will apply only to regular courses in government and government-aided institutions. Selffinancing courses and institut i o n s , p r iv a t e u n a i d e d institutions, PPP-mode institutions along with professional and technical programmes have been kept outside its ambit. The chief minister said the initiative aligns with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Odisha Vision 2036 and Odisha Vision 2047, and represents one of the state’s largest investments in the education sector. He asserted that the scheme will improve enrolment and attendance, reduce dropout rates and enable more students to continue higher education without financial barriers, laying the foundation for a more inclusive and knowledge-driven Odisha. The cabinet also approved 12 proposals of eight departments. infra push Legislative priority Apart from the bill to disqualify PMs, CMs and ministers, the govt is expected to accord priority to a limited number of other bills during the Monsoon Session, including the Women’s Reservation Bill, indicating a focused legislative agenda on major policy initiatives Opposition boycott Members of main Opposition parties like the Congress, Trinamool Congress, SP, DMK and the Left boycotted the panel. However, the NCP (Sharad Pawar), AIMIM and other fencesitters such as the BJD, YSRCP and SAD participated in the committee S L al i tha @ New Delhi The contentious 130th Constitution Amendment Bill on disqualifying prime ministers and chief ministers could be back in Parliament as its vetting by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) is about to be over. The government is said to be keen on piloting the bill that was first introduced last year, for possible passage in the forthcoming Monsoon Session. The session is expected from July 20 but not later than July 27. As per the proposed amendment, offices of the PM and CMs would automatically fall vacant if the incumbent remains in judicial custody for more than 30 days without bail. The government maintains that the measure is intended to strengthen accountability and reinforce public confidence in the holders of high constitutional offices. Opposition parties, however, have expressed serious reservations, arguing that the proposal could have far-reaching constitutional and political consequences, particularly in cases where judicial proceedings remain unresolved. They have also questioned its compatibility with established constitutional principles, particularly the presumption of innocence till proved guilty . The bill was referred to a 31-member JPC chaired by former IAS officer-turnedpolitician and BJP MP Aprajita Sarangi. The panel is expected to finalise its report before the Monsoon Session. Led by the Congress, the Opposition boycotted the JPC, contending that participation would serve no meaningful purpose. The ruling NDA, however, rejected those objections and defended the JPC’s functioning, arguing that the bill was the need of hour. The bill is now expected to be tabled in the Lok Sabha. Sources indicated that it figures prominently in the legislative agenda for the upcoming session. More than two lakh students who took the May 3 NEET-UG did not appear for the subsequent retest held on June 21, according to the National Testing Agency’s initial estimates. A total of 22,05,035 candidates appeared for the first exam, while the retest had about 20 lakh candidates, a 9% dip. The National Testing Agency (NTA) officials said the exact figures are being compiled. Meanwhile, as many as 21 students took their lives in the period between the first test and the retest. Experts in the field of education pointed to the mental trauma of the paper leak and a lack of trust in the examination process owing to the leak. Sources at the NTA, however, cited changed circumstances or practical reasons. “A good number of aspirants also take up the JEE examination (decider for engineering colleges) and the JEE-Advanced exam for admission into IITs. If they did well in it, they could have decided to give up on the medical dreams,” an NTA source said. A few aspirants also apply to institutions abroad and could have decided to opt out, as studying abroad is viewed by most Indians as very prestigious, the source added. Another source said, after the answer keys of the original exam were released on May 6, some aspirants may have felt that they are just not cut out for this kind of strenuous exam. Horror at B’luru IT firm’s daycare centre as toddlers tortured, 5 booked E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E Staff being questioned, videos analysed: Police IN a horrific incident, toddlers were allegedly subjected to physical abuse at a daycare centre located inside an IT company campus in HAL police limits. The caregivers allegedly placed children inside a washing machine, sprayed water into their mouths using toilet jet sprays, and locked them inside a washroom as punishment for crying. According to the FIR registered at HAL police station on June 29, based on a complaint filed by an official of the District Child Protection Unit, Bengaluru East, the incident occurred at Society General Police registered an FIR against the daycare in-charge and four caregivers under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act. Police are questioning the accused women and verifying the authenticity of the videos, when the incidents occurred, and how many children were subjected to similar abuse @ Bengaluru Design of the cable stay bridge planned at Jaydev Vihar  `579 cr project cost  9.5 km mega corridor  6 lanes expanded to 8  17.5 km service roads  4-lane cable-stay bridge at Jaydev Vihar  Four major flyovers  Nine junctions redesigned  Construction in 24 months Re-NEET had 2 lakh fewer candidates than first exam Baby Care, a daycare facility operating on the Capgemini Technology Services India campus in Brookefield, where employees of the IT company leave their children during working hours. The complaint stated that the Child Helpline received videos showing children being subjected to mental and physical abuse by daycare caregivers Manjula, Vijayalakshmi, Bhavani, Sindhu and Bindu. It is alleged that whenever the children cried or created a disturbance, the caregivers intimidated them by placing them inside a front loading washing machine, making them sit inside a Western-style toilet commode, forcefully spraying water into their mouths using the health faucet, locking them inside bathrooms, and subjecting them to other forms of physical abuse. According to the videos, more than 15 toddlers aged between two and four years were present at the daycare. SC firms up ITR yardstick for compensation S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi In an attempt to bring uniformity in motor accident compensation cases, the Supreme Court on Wednesday framed guidelines for determining annual income of the deceased or injured claimants based on their income tax retur ns (ITR). “ITRs are statutory records and carry a presumption of correctness. In case of salaried individuals, income does not fluctuate significantly making , the latest ITR the most accurate reflection. For self-employed persons, earnings vary , so a three-year average ensures a realistic assessment,” said a two-judge bench of justices Sanjay Karol and N Kotiswar Singh. The bench observed that while no straitjacket formula can be fixed for computing income under the Motor Vehicles Act, a distinction must be drawn — in these accidental claims cases — between the salaried employees and selfemployed persons when relying on ITRs for compensation. The verdict came on an appeal by an insurance firm challenging a high court order that had fixed the deceased’s income by picking the highest ITR from the last five years. Disapproving the method, the bench said selecting the highest return in isolation would result in inflated awards and unfairly burden insurers. The court further said tribunals could deviate from ITRs if a particular year reflected exceptional income due to one- time gains or abnormal losses. Where ITRs are not filed, it said, courts may rely on Form 26AS, bank statements or salary slips, but must record reasons for doing so. The bench also said fluctuation in income of self-employed victims needs to be factored in. It could arise from the nature of the business, growth pattern and impact of death on the business and its potential growth. The court directed its registry to circulate the guidelines to all Motor Accident Claims Tribunals and high courts across the country to ensure uniform application in pending and future matters. `1.95l CR HIGHER IMPORT REVENUE BUOYS JUNE GST NUMBERS GST collections rose 14% year-on-year to `1.95 lakh crore in June on the back of higher tax mop-up from imports as well as domestic supplies. GST revenues were over `1.94 lakh crore in May this year and `1.71 lakh crore in June 2025 | P10