BHUBANESWAR l thursday l march 19, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l JEYPORE EDITION Govt approves `33,660-cr scheme to develop 100 industrial parks The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the Bharat Audyogik Vikas Yojna (BHAVYA) to develop 100 plug-and-play industrial parks across the country Plug-and-play model for faster growth `2,585 cr to boost small hydro projects Under the scheme, industrial parks ranging from 100 to 1,000 acres will be taken up for development with financial support of up to `1 crore per acre. BHAVYA’s plug-and-play model with pre-approved land, ready infrastructure, and integrated services, will significantly reduce entry barriers for investors, the government said in a press release ■ ■ Other decisions include a new `2,585 crore scheme to support the development of small hydro projects with capacities between 1 and 25 megawatts, by providing 30% of the project cost or `3.6 cr per MW The Cabinet also approved more than `1,718 crore to help the Cotton Corporation of India provide direct price support to cotton farmers `6,969 cr to build 4-lane access-controlled Highway in Uttar Pradesh 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 Turkmenistan Caspian Sea Turkey World’s largest natural gas deposit @Tehran /Tel Aviv/Dubai/ Washington in a major escalation in the ongoing war in West Asia, Israel on Wednesday bombed Iran’s huge South Pars natural gas field, prompting an angry Tehran to threaten to retaliate by striking the energy assets in United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar “in the coming hours”. The strike on South Pars has the potential to set off a chain reaction that could stifle the entire Gulf region’s economic lifeline amid disruption in oil production and movement. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson termed the strike—carried out by Israel with the concurrence of the US—a “dangerous and irresponsible” escalation that put global energy security at risk. Iran’s Tasnim news agency, quoting Iranian officials, said Tehran would strike Saudi Arabia’s Samref refinery and Jubail petrochemical complex, UAE’s Al Hosn gasfield, and Qatar’s Ras Laffan refinery and Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding Company. South Pars, located off the coast of southern Iran’s Bushehr province, is the world’s largest natural gas deposit, which Iran shares with Qatar. Targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure is seen as a major escalation as the US and Israel have till now held back on any move that could invite an Iranian retaliation against other producers in the region, which could set oil prices on fire. On Wednesday, Brent prices hovered over $108 per barrel— up from $70 just weeks ago. Israel on Wednesday said it also eliminated Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail Khatib in overnight strikes. On Tuesday, L o t t e r y b a r o n li n k Vijay in play amid trouble in Pondy NDA N Rangasamy Vijay D e b j a n i D u t ta @ Puducherry The ruling NDA in Puducherry is facing trouble from within, as Chief Minister N Rangasamy visited Salem to seek spiritual guidance from his guru, Appa Paithiyam Swamigal, before taking the final call on the alliance’s future. He parallelly reached out to actor-turned-politician Vijay for a possible electoral understanding with the latter’s TVK. The current impasse revolves around dissonance over the BJP’s bid to induct a party floated by lottery baron Santiago Martin’s eldest son Jose Charles Martin, into the NDA. Martin’s Lakshya Jananayaga Katchi (LJK) was floated in December last. Continued on P5 South Pars gas field IRAN Strait of Hormuz qatar day 19 Gulf of Oman UAE Oman Saudi Arabia Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani was killed in a targeted Israeli strike. In a first, Israel publicly stated that all senior Iranian officials would be its military’s targets from now on. “Prime Minister Yemen Benjamin Netanyahu and I have authorised the Israel Defense Forces to target any senior Iranian official for whom an intelligence Aden operational opportuGulf of and nity arises, without the need for additional approval,” Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said. Meanwhile, in a body blow to US President Donald Trump’s justification for starting the war with Iran, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that Iran was not trying to rebuild its nuclear enrichment capacities that were destroyed in a June 2025 US-Israeli attack, under Operation Midnight Hammer. “As a result of Operation Midnight Hammer, Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme was obliterated. There have been no efforts since then to try to rebuild their enrichment capability,” Gabbard said in a written testimony to the Senate intelligence committee. Day’s developments l Iran confirms assassination of top intelligence official Esmail Khatib in an Israeli strike l India to prioritise domestic fuel demand amid requests from neighbours lIndian vessel ‘Jag Laadki’ carrying over 80,000 MT crude oil reaches Gujarat’s Mundra Port Under pressure, Odisha govt suspends 4 officials, SCB authorities go scot-free S L a l i t h a @ New Delhi E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Amid complaints about airlines levying high additional charges for allocating seats on flights, the Union civil aviation ministry on Wednesday directed that a minimum of 60% of seats on all domestic flights be allocated free of charge. In another passenger-friendly measure, the ministry asked airlines to ensure that passengers traveling on the same PNR (Passenger Name Record) are seated together. “Passengers travelling on the same PNR are to be seated together, preferably in adjacent seats,” the ministry said in a Arabian release. Sea The airlines were also directed to bring out clear, transparent policies for carrying pets on board. Besides, they must ensure that carriage of sports equipment and musical instruments on board are facilitated in a transparent and passengerfriendly manner without compromising on applicable safety and operational regulations. Additionally all airlines must , strictly adhere to the passenger rights framework, particularly in cases of delays, cancellations, and denial of boarding. The rights of passengers must be prominently displayed across the airline’s websites, mobile applications, booking platforms, and airport counters, the ministry said. “60 per cent seats free of charge, assured seating together for families, and clear, transparent norms for carriage of sports equipment, musical instruments & pets,” Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said in a post on X. Faced with mounting criticism over safety standards in public healthcare facilities and a paralysed Assembly on the issue, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Wednesday ordered the suspension of four officials for alleged negligence linked to the devastating fire incident at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack that claimed 12 lives on March 16. Those placed under suspension include deputy fire officer, Cuttack circle, Prakash Kumar Jena, assistant fire officer, Cuttack circle, Sanjeeb Kumar Behera, station officer, SCB MCH, Abhinab Prusty and assistant executive engineer Ranjan Kumar Biswal of the SCB sub-division under General Electrical Division (GED). Afghanistan A g en c i e s No extra fee for 60% of seats on domestic routes for fliers Pakistan Gulf oil sites on edge as Iran’s gas field hit Syria SCB fire tragedy Curiously, the medical college and hospital authorities have escaped scrutiny . The decision to suspend four official pending a judicial inquiry into the incident, however, is being viewed as a knee-jerk reaction, taken under intense political pressure. The timing of the action has raised serious questions about due process and intent. What has surprised many is that the suspensions were ordered even as the state government had already constituted a judicial inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and fix responsibility . The apparent haste in penalising officials before the conclusion of the judicial probe has led to concerns about prejudgment. Legal and administrative experts point out a key question, “What happens if the judicial commission ultimately does not find these four officers at fault? The government may then face embarrassment and questions over arbitrary action.” Equally baffling is the government’s reliance on a preliminary fact-finding report by development commissioner DK Singh to justify such strong disciplinary measures. Typically, such reports are meant for internal assessment and not for determining punitive action in cases of this magnitude, especially when a formal judicial inquiry is already underway, official sources Continued on P5 said.