hyderabad l friday l February 27, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 36 l LATE City EDITION No addl fee for changes within 48 hours of air ticket booking You can now cancel or change air tickets without additional charge within 48 hours of booking, subject to certain conditions, the DGCA said Representational image Facility if departure date is over 7 days Regulator DGCA revises Refund norms Fliers will get a ‘look-in option’ for 48 hours after booking tickets. During this period, a passenger can cancel or amend the ticket without additional charges. “This facility shall not be available for a flight whose departure is less than 7 days for domestic flight and 15 days for international flight from booking date when ticket is booked directly through airline website” ■ ■ “In case of purchase of ticket through travel agent/portal, onus of refund shall lie with the airlines as agents are their appointed representatives.” Refund must be processed within 14 working days No addl fee allowed for name correction if the flier points out the error within 24 hours of booking directly through the airline’s website March 26 Operational date for the new passenger-friendly norms 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 SC orders ban, seizure of NCERT book State Education Commission chairman Akunuri Murali, along with others, submits a report on the Telangana education system to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the Integrated Command and Control Centre in Hyderabad on Thursday @ New Delhi Draft Education Policy seeks 18% Budget allocation Meg h n a N at h @ Hyderabad eye on future n  English to be the medium of instruction n  Three-language policy (Telugu or Urdu, English and Hindi) to be implemented n  Student-centred education policy n  EAPCET to be abolished n  and Intermediate SSC Boards to be merged n  Suspension of fee reimbursement for consistently underperforming private institutions n  Revocation of recognition for violation of norms Flagship reform Large integrated schools, Pre-primary to Grade 12, 1,500 students Holistic education Sports, extracurriculars, quality meals, transport Vocational courses Shift to ITIs/ polytechnics Experiential learning 30–35% credits TG University Act Amend VC selection & tenure Fee reimbursement BPL exempted; others to pay, discontinue APL reimbursement n  Proposes upgrading 2,000 schools into fully equipped institutions with labs, libraries, and sports facilities, each serving about 1,500 students. The schools will be spread across 630 mandals and connected to nearby villages and urban bastis, with rollout starting in 100 mandals in 2026–27 a complete blanket ban is hereby imposed on any further publication re: printing or digital dissemination of the book titled ‘Exploring Society India , and Beyond’,” said the order by the bench, also comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi. The SC ordered that all physical and digital copies of the book currently in circulation— including those held in storage, retail outlets, or educational institutions—be immediately seized and removed from public access. During the hearing, the bench observed that publication of the book with offending references amounts to crimi- S U CHITRA K A LYAN MOHANTY Declaring education a state mission, allocating at least 18% of the state Budget to the sector and basing education spending on actual annual infrastructure and maintenance needs are among the key recommendations in Education Policy for Telangana 2026: Vision for Inclusive Excellence, submitted by the Telangana Education Commission (TEC) to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy . The policy document was submitted on Thursday by TEC chairman Akunuri Murali and other members of the Commission. The document is structured into 12 chapters and contains recommendations covering pre-school, school, Intermediate, technical, collegiate and university education. It also includes provisions for open and distance learning, along with regulatory and legislative reforms aimed at streamlining governance across the education sector. Each chapter specifies standard infrastructure requirements to ensure access to globally competitive education across Telangana. Explaining the recommendations, the TEC proposed that at least 18% of the state Budget be allocated to education, including 5% for higher education. It noted that earlier Budgets had allocated around 9% to the sector. The Commission also recommended that education budgets be linked to real annual infrastructure and maintenance needs, instead of being largely limited to salaries and pensions. It further stated that education should remain free from communal, caste, gender or majoritarian bias, while upholding constitutional values and diversity . Outlining proposals relating to school, Intermediate and higher education, Murali said the policy recommends establishing Telangana Public Schools—large, fully equipped campuses offering education from pre-primary to Grade 12 under one roof, with transport facilities. These schools are intended to address multigrade teaching, teacher shortages and infrastructure gaps. The policy proposes restructuring B.Ed. programmes into B.Ed. (Primary) for preprimary to Class V and B.Ed. (Secondary) for Classes VI to XII. It also recommends amending existing laws or enacting new legislation to empower the Board of Intermediate Education to register and regulate private coaching centres for competitive examinations such as JEE and NEET, along with hostels attached to them.  ContinueD on p2 Add milk to school breakfast: CM Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, during a review of the Education department at the ICCC, discussed rollout of breakfast in government schools from 2026–27 and directed milk be provided to every student, procured from Vijaya Dairy | P2 Buying a vehicle? Prepare to pay more from March 1 E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad The state government will begin levying a one-time Road Safety Cess from March 1, increasing the cost of purchasing new vehicles. The measure aims to mobilise dedicated funds to strengthen traffic management systems and improve accident preven- tion infrastructure across the state. The levy follows the amendment of the Telangana Motor Vehicles Taxation Act, 1963, which received the Governor’s assent in January and will come into force from March 1. Under Section 3-C, a one-time cess will be collected at the time of registration of new vehicles.  ContinueD on P5 THE Supreme Court on Thursday imposed a “complete blanket ban” on the NCERT’s Class 8 social science book containing a controversial section on ‘corruption in the judiciary’, and issued a contempt notice to the NCERT director and Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy . A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant held that the book contains “offending” material not suitable for young students in their formative years. “As an abundant precaution, Will probe the matter and take action: Pradhan The Union education ministry wrote to the ministries of information and broadcasting, and electronics, asking them to stop the dissemination of the NCERT textbook through digital platforms and electronic media. Earlier in the day, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said an inquiry would be conducted and action taken against those involved in preparing the book, adding there was no intention to disrespect the judiciary. nal contempt of court. The court directed the NCERT to submit the members of the national syllabus committee who approved the “offending chapter”, names of the textbook development team responsible for drafting the chapter, and the original minutes of all meetings where the chapter was deliberated and finalised. All these must be produced on March 11, the next date of hearing, it said. “It is my duty as head of the institution to find out who is responsible; heads must roll… We won’t close the case,” the CJI said, adding, “We would like to have a deeper probe.” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the chapter had already been withdrawn and only 32 copies had reached the market. Blaming the NCERT for the goof-up, the bench observed that there appeared to be a deep-rooted conspiracy to demean the dignity of the judiciary “They have fired a gunshot . and the judiciary is bleeding,” the CJI said. The bench refused to accept the apology tendered by the NCERT on Wednesday night, hours after the SC took suo motu cognisance of the matter. “The question as to whether the apology has been tendered genuinely... or to evade the consequences... we will consider at an appropriate stage,” the order said. Israel ties: Special strategic partnership deal done J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi India and Israel on Thursday elevated their ties to a “Special Strategic Partnership” during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s second state visit to Israel in nine years. The move signals a deepening of cooperation across defence, trade, technology and regional connectivity, even as both sides underscored shared concerns over terrorism and instability in the Middle East. Following delegation-level talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, Modi described the relationship as “time-tested” and rooted in trust and democratic values. A series of agreements were signed to boost collaboration in trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payments. The two sides also agreed to work towards finalising a free trade agreement. Modi also an- nounced a new partnership in critical and emerging technologies, aimed at accelerating cooperation in AI, quantum technologies and critical minerals. “I am also pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel,” the prime minister said, referring to India’s digital payments interface. Security cooperation remained central to the talks. Modi reiterated India’s firm opposition to terrorism in all forms. “India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world,” he said. At the same time, Modi reaffirmed support for peace efforts in Gaza. “India’s stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts,” he said. Pay cut for parental neglect on agenda E x p r e s s Ne w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that the government will take a decision in the upcoming Assembly session to cut 10% to 15% of salaries of government employees who neglect their parents and credit the amount into the accounts of parents.   The chief minister also said that MCRHRDI would soon enter into an agreement with Harvard University for providing training at the institute by experts from the university “They . agreed in principle to come here and teach,” he added. On Wednesday, addressing the valedictory ceremony of Group-1 and Group-2 officers’ training at Dr Marri Chenna Reddy Human Resource Development Institute of Telangana HC hears ‘Kerala Story’ late-night E XPR E SS N E WS S E RVIC E @ Kochi HOURS after a single judge of the Kerala High Court stayed the release of the movie ‘Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond’, a division bench held a latenight emergency hearing of an appeal filed by producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah, seeking to quash the single judge’s order. The bench, comprising justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and P V Balakrishnan, reserved its order. Earlier in the day, Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas had stayed the release of the film for 15 days. The single judge passed the order on petitions filed by Sreedev Namboodiri of Kannur and Freddy V Francis of Ernakulam, challenging the theatrical, digital and satellite release. The film is scheduled to be released on Friday Till . the division bench’s judgment is pronounced, the single-judge bench’s interim order will prevail and the movie cannot be released. In the appeal before the division bench, the producer submitted that the court should allow the release as the film is scheduled to be screened in more than 1,800 theatres across the country and in 355 centres abroad. If the film is not released on the scheduled date, the makers would suffer financial losses. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for Shah, submitted that the single judge erred in substituting his own assessment of the film’s content for the expert determination of the CBFC to examine and certify films for public exhibition. He added: “Today we are , 75 years into the republic. Are we so frail that we can say portrayal of a social evil in one religion will scandalise that religion? There is nothing in the movie to denigrate Kerala.” Afghanistan retaliates with military strikes on Pak army posts | p9 Hyd rides easy as RTC rolls out fare cuts for Metro AC, Deluxe S i d d h a r d h a G at t i m i @ Hyderabad Ahead of the summer season, Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) has decided to reduce ticket fares in Metro Deluxe and AC Metro buses by 25%–30%. The revised fares will come into effect from March 1 for a period of three months. TGSRTC executive director Venkanna told TNIE that, aiming to increase the occupancy ratio in these buses, the corporation has reduced ticket prices within Hyderabad city limits to make travel more affordable and comfortable. He added that since the Mahalakshmi scheme is not applicable to Metro Deluxe and AC buses, the move would encourage male passengers to board these buses, helping reduce congestion in ordinary buses.  ContinueD on P5 New plan clicks as India score highest WC total | P11 (MCRHRDI), Revanth said, “From today, your holidays are over. From tomorrow, we all have to work at the field level to transform the state into a ‘Bangaru Telangana’.” Revanth said that about six lakh candidates appeared for Group-1 and Group-2 examinations and 562 have been selected for Group-1 and 775 for Group-2.  ContinueD on p4 Today’s Match 7pm: England vs New Zealand (Colombo) ED gets nod to prosecute PC e n s @ New Delhi With the Centre granting sanction to prosecute former Union finance minister P Chidambaram in two separate money laundering cases, the ED on Thursday shared the orders with a special court in New Delhi and urged it to expedite trials. Prosecution sanction in the INX Media and Aircel-Maxis deal cases were granted on February 10. The agency has approached Centre to get prosecution sanction in November 2024, which held that prosecution sanction under Section 197(1) of the CrPC is mandatory even for complaints filed under PMLA.