KOCHI l friday l june 05, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 16 l LATE city EDITION Maruti Suzuki unveils India’s first flexible fuel vehicle Maruti Suzuki on Thursday launched India’s first flex-fuel passenger vehicle capable of running on ethanol-petrol blends ranging from E20 to E100 can operate on any mix of petrol-ethanol all major automakers coming on board The country’s largest carmaker said the vehicle, Wagon R Flex Fuel, features an advanced engine control unit that automatically adapts to varying ethanol blends, allowing customers to operate the car on any mix of petrol and ethanol. This comes a day after Hero MotoCorp launched India’s first flex-fuel motorcycles, the Splendor+ (pic) and HF Deluxe | P10 ■ ■ Flex-fuel cars will help meet India’s goal of cutting crude imports and reducing carbon emissions as dependence on imported crude can’t be an option, said Hishashi Takeuchi, MD& CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Major automakers, including Toyota Motor, Tata Motors and Hyundai Motor are also developing flex-fuel vehicles for the Indian market A1.84 L cr is forex savings by moving to ethanol since 2014, govt claims 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 Opposition churn as DMK to skip Monday’s meet Centre engaging with DMK and Trinamool Congress amidst buzz on second shot at delimitation bill P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi EXPRESS READ Southwest monsoon arrives in Kerala: IMD New Delhi: The southwest monsoon reached the Kerala coast on June 4 — three days behind its usual June 1 arrival date. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirmed that the monsoon has set in over Kerala, Mahe, parts of Karnataka, and the Bay of Bengal. 5 ICU patients die as fire breaks out in hosp Patna: Five patients choked to death at a private hospital in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar on Thursday after smoke filled the ICU following a fire incident. A short circuit apparently triggered the fire in hospital, said officials. 16 pages, including 4 pages of KOCHI Express To honour the sentiments of party workers who are pained by the betrayal of Congress, the DMK will not participate in the INDIA bloc meeting DMK statement NDA just 42 short NDA currently needs just 42 more votes in the LS for any constitutional amendment. Any shift in Opposition strength could prove decisive for bills on the ‘One Nation, One Election’ proposal and delimitation The Opposition INDIA bloc appears headed for a major churn, with two of its key constituents — the DMK and the Trinamool Congress — grappling with challenges that could test the alliance’s unity and future. On Thursday, the DMK announced it would skip the INDIA bloc meeting on June 8, citing discontent over Congress “betrayal”. Long-time allies Congress and DMK are at loggerheads after the grand old party joined the Vijay-led TVK government in Tamil Nadu following the DMK alliance’s defeat in the assembly polls. “While the DMK will not attend this meeting, it will continue to raise its voice on issues affecting the welfare of the nation that may be brought forward by the other parties participating in the meeting,” said a party statement. Incidentally the DMK received ap, proval from the Lok Sabha secretariat on Thursday to sit separate from the Congress. Though TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee are expected to attend the meeting, their party appears to be on the brink of a upheaval, with speculation on a exodus of its MPs. The unrest follows a rebel faction backed by 58 MLAs claiming to be the “real TMC”. At least nine TMC LS MPs and three Rajya Sabha members are said to be negotiating with the BJP. Besides, sources said at least two Lok Sabha MPs are in touch with the Congress. The developments come amid speculation that the Centre is likely to reintroduce the delimitation bill during the upcoming Monsoon Session and has been engaging with the DMK and TMC to strengthen its position. In the Budget session, the constitutional amendment linking delimitation to the women’s reservation bill was defeated by the Opposition, though the NDA held 298 seats in the LS. With the DMK and TMC holding 22 and 28 MPs respectively, all eyes are now on the two parties. India, Venezuela agree to deepen partnership J aya n t h J a c o b @ New Delhi India and Venezuela on Thursday agreed to deepen cooperation in energy and explore a broader economic partnership spanning critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, automobiles and mining, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held extensive talks with Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez. The meeting came at a time when India is seeking to diversify crude oil supplies following disruptions in global energy markets caused by the West Asia crisis, while Venezuela is looking to expand export markets and attract investment after years of the US sanctionsrelated isolation. The focal point of the talks was on long-term energy partnership, with both sides highlighting their natural complementarity . Late retirement, 10-yr pay revision mooted E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ T’Puram Raising the retirement age of state government employees to match that of Union government staff and a shift to 10-year pay revision cycle from the current five years are among the key recommendations in ‘Kerala’s Fiscal Health: A Status Report’, the white paper on the state’s finances, tabled in the assembly on Thursday. The report underscores the need for tough political choices, calling for sweeping reforms in government salaries, public sector enterprises and the power sector. The white paper is a mirror held up to the LDF, exposing a decade of state of fiscal health J5.07 lakh cr Total outstanding liabilities A48,733 cr Inherited arrears from previous govt Debt as percentage of GSDP: 33.2 Interest payments account for 20.9% of total revenue Source: ‘Kerala’s Fiscal Health: A Status Report’ its “economic mismanagement,” Chief Minister VD Satheesan told the assembly. “It is not a political document nor an investigative re- port. It lays out before the common man the fiscal health of the state when the new government assumed office,” he said. According to the report, Kerala is sitting on outstanding liabilities of `5.07 lakh crore. The new government inherited unpaid arrears worth `48,733 crore, an amount almost equal to an year’s entire market borrowing, from its predecessor. Committed expenditure — salaries, pension and interest payments —consumes 77% of total revenue receipts. Interest payments account for 20.9% of revenue expenditure. State’s capital expenditure is just 1.3% of GSDP, one of the ● More on P4 lowest in the country  .