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 ■ ■ SAMBALPUR l thursday l june 25, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION Croatia’s most celebrated player Luka Modric being hurled into air after the team’s 1-0 win over Panama. Modric made his 200th international appearance Stealth fighter jet hits air Passport is not a proof of citizenship: MEA pocket as GE triples prices E x p ress N e w s S ervi c e @ New Delhi J A V A R I A R A N A @ New Delhi Negotiations to procure GE F414 engines that would power India’s fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) have hit a wall with the US aerospace giant seeking a whopping 300% increase in prices than earlier estimates, sources said. According to sources, the F414 engine was estimated to cost `70-80 crore per unit but GE is now quoting prices that are three times higher. Technical negotiations for F414 engines have already been completed but commercial discussions to fix engine price, technology transfer and manufacturing arrangements are now stuck, putting both costs and timelines of the flagship fighter programme at risk. The setback comes at a time when Pakistan is reportedly moving closer to inducting China’s J-35 stealth fighter, which could introduce 5th gen combat aircraft into the region before the AMCA enters service. The indigenous fifth-generation stealth fighter is expected address the Indian Air Force’s squadron shortfall. The IAF currently operates 29 fighter squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42.5 The AMCA prototype programme requires 15 F414 engines. India has approved `15,000 crore for five flying prototypes. The F414 is also slated to power Tejas Mk-2 and Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter Manufacturer’s leverage GE knows AMCA is built around the F414. Changing it at this stage would be difficult. That gives it leverage for negotiations F414 engine was initially estimated to cost around L 70-80 cr per unit (TEDBF), taking the projected requirement to 200 engines. “The company knows the programme is built around the F414 and that changing engines now would be extremely difficult. That gives GE significant leverage during commercial negotiations,” a source said. Sources further said GE has sought around `6,000 crore for setting up a dedicated F414 assembly and manufacturing line in India, which would cater to future requirements of the Tejas Mk-2, initial AMCA production batches and the TEDBF. It is learnt that Indian negotiators are now considering the option of reducing the initial order quantity to ease the immediate financial burden. “The F414 has already been factored into the design and development plans for the AMCA Mk-1 as well as the Tejas Mk-2. Any new engine would require GE has now quoted prices almost 300% fresh integration, software work, testing and certification,” a source said. “The AMCA design has been frozen. If another engine is eventually selected, it will have to be adapted to the aircraft’s existing configuration rather than the aircraft being redesigned around the engine.” The F414 was selected for the AMCA Mk-1 because it is a proven engine already powering several frontline fighter aircraft. Generating around 98 kN of thrust, the engine is seen as a critical component of India’s future combat aircraft plans. The AMCA Mk-2 is slated to be powered by a more powerful 110-120 kN class engine being developed through an international partnership. France’s Safran and Britain’s Rolls-Royce have emerged as the leading contenders for the programme. A passport is a travel document and not proof of citizenship, External Affairs Ministry officials said on Wednesday . “The passport remains a travel document, and not a document of citizenship, as it attests the nationality of Indians when they are abroad,” the officials sought to explain. A passport is among the accepted documents for the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The ministry’s statement triggered debate on social media over what constitutes a conclusive proof of citizenship, an issue that remains a grey area as it has not been explicitly addressed by the Centre. Some of them pointed out that passports are not issued to non-citizens. Section 6(2)(a) of the Pass- express read Hotelier murdered in Puri, one accused held Puri: A 25-year-old hotelier was allegedly murdered by four persons after a dispute over customer service in Baliapanda area of Puri on Wednesday. The deceased was identified as Pabitra Nayak (25). He had taken a hotel on lease on Dhabaleswar road in Baliapanda area. Hours after the crime, police nabbed the prime accused, Chandan Pallar (35), after shooting him in the legs near Shankarpur. Police said Pabitra had contracted some of his rooms to an OYO-affiliated operation managed by Chandan. On the day, he visited the hotel over complaints regarding customer service | P4 port Act 1967 requires the issuing authority to refuse a passport if the applicant is not a citizen of India. It reads: “Subject to the other provisions of this Act, the passport authority shall refuse to issue a passport or travel document for visiting any foreign country under clause (c) of sub-section (2) of section 5 on any one or more of the following grounds, and on no other ground, namely:-- (a) that the applicant is not a citizen of India.” Officials said, “a passport is issued after a lot of due diligence, and it is based on documents from several government agencies.” A total of 14.7 million e-passports have been issued since the chip-based documents were rolled out last year as part of the revamped Passport Seva Programme, according to the officials. The epassports, which contain an embedded antenna and a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip storing personal particulars and biometric data, account for around 10% of all passports issued so far. All new passports are now being issued in the chip-based format. The e-passports offer enhanced security and significantly reduce the possibility of unauthorised access or tamper- ing, as well as the chances of obtaining the document through fraudulent means, the officials said. “It is more difficult to generate fake passports, and the epassports offer greater reassurance to immigration authorities abroad and make clearances faster,” the officials said. The chips used in the e-passports are sourced by the India Security Press in Nashik from overseas suppliers, the officials said. They added that international best practices were studied to ensure the Indian e-passports are robust and compliant with global standards. The ministry will organise a two-day Human Resource Mobility Forum on June 30 to highlight legal pathways for migration and facilitate networking between foreign employers and Indian nationals seeking jobs abroad, the officials said. China trade via Lipulekh from tomorrow N A R E N D R A S E T H I @ Dehradun The India-China border trade through the Lipulekh pass will resume on June 26 after nearly seven years, in a significant economic and strategic development for Uttarakhand’s frontier region. For the first time, Indian border traders will be able to travel by road in vehicles up to areas close to the Lipulekh Pass. The local administration has received an encouraging response, with 103 applications submitted for trade permits this year. In the first phase, 26 trade passes have been issued, including those for 17 traders and nine assist- ants. A customs office and other essential arrangements have also been made operational at Gunji. “After verification of the remaining applications, 25 to 30 more passes are likely to be issued in the next two to three days,” Dharachula Sub Divisional Magistrate Ashish Joshi told this newspaper. The revival of trade is expected to provide a major boost to the economy of the remote border villages, generate local employment and suppor t small businesses. Trade via this route was halted in 2020 due to Covid-19 and India-China border skirmishes. During the prolonged FULL VIDEO OUT NOW closure, several shops in the old Taklakot market were reportedly allotted to Nepali and other traders. A new trade mart has now been developed for Indian and Nepali traders, where Indian traders will be allotted shops. Members of the trade committee said the new market is better organised than the earlier one and offers more space for storing goods. Traders have also sought concessional rent and improved logistics support. In 2019, trade through this route was worth nearly `3 crore, including exports worth around `1.25 crore and imports of approximately `1.90 crore.