Cabinet approves 3% hike in DA/ DR for central govt employees The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a three per cent hike in dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) with effect from July 1 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM l thursday l october 29, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 16 l late city EDITION The combined impact on the exchequer on account of the increase in both DA and DR would be I10,016.10 cr per annum, the release said The DA and DR for Central government employees and pensioners are revised twice a year, one with effect from January 1 and the other from July 1. The latest announcement pertains to July 1 increase The decision will benefit more than 1.17 crore Central government employees and pensioners. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw described it as a “Diwali gift”. The hike amounts to “an increase of 3% over the existing rates of 60% of the basic pay/pension, to compensate against price rise,” an official release said 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 grills EC over 7 dead as Arnab batters Andhra use of Form 6 by deleted voters S G uru S rikanth / U sha P e ri @ Vijayawada/ Visakhapatnam Advises Election Commission to reach out to Delhi voters struck off, extend deadline S U C H I T R A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Election Commission of India (EC) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, questioning why deleted voters were asked to fill Form 6 which is meant for first-time voters. The court told the EC to devise a way to reach out to 47 lakh of 1.45 crore Delh i vo t e r s, wh o s e names were deleted in the draft voter list during the ongoing SIR and suggested the deadline for the process be extended. The bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices V Mohana and Joymalya Bagchi said Form 6 requires a declaration that the applicant had never enrolled anywhere before. If voters already on the rolls in 2026 filled the form it would amount to a false declaration, exposing them to prosecution, the court said. The petitioners submitted that of the 47 lakh deleted voters, 43 lakh were marked absent or permanently shifted, although many had not received enumeration forms. The SC said a person going out for work for a few months could not be treated as permanent change of residence. “It cannot delete names of migrant workers, street vendors, daily wagers on that ground,” the judges said. The court advised the EC not to fix a deadline and to accept enumeration forms from deleted voters instead of asking them to fill Forms 6, 7 and 8. Urging the EC to find a way to reduce the gap of 43 lakh deletions, the court suggested it publish a list of those voters, asking them to contact the EC. The EC said it would consider accepting late enumeration forms and will extend the October 30 deadline if needed. “Your job is to act with due diligence... A voter comes and says, please put in these papers. You say, put in Form 6. How does he file Form 6?... This is structural incongruity... if he has not filled an enumeration form and draft roll having been published, he has not shifted... will you say the person forever loses the right to come in roll?” Justice Bagchi asked. The SC was hearing a plea against issues in the SIR in Delhi moved by Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri. Seven people lost their lives across the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh in rain-related incidents triggered by the landfall of very severe cyclone Arnab in the early hours of Wednesday The . storm unleashed gale-force winds and torrential downpours across 14 districts, destroying an estimated 2.2 lakh hectares of agricultural and horticultural crops. Normal public life and economic activity were severely disrupted across the coastal districts of Kakinada, Dr B R Ambedkar Konaseema, East Godavari, West Go- Fire and rescue personnel remove trees uprooted by cyclonic winds in Anaparthi in East Godavari district on Wednesday | Express davari, Eluru, Krishna, NTR, Guntur, Bapatla, Anakapalle, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and Srikakulam, alongside the tribal belts of Parvathipuram Manyam and Alluri Sitarama Raju. The cyclone completed its six-hour land- Vigilance to probe KIIFB’s Kannur land acquisitions E x pr e ss N e w s S e r v ic e @ T’Puram The state cabinet on Wednesday ordered a detailed vigilance inquiry into procedural lapses in land acquisition worth crores of rupees through the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) in Kannur district. The finance and revenue departments will provide technical assistance to the probe, an official statement said. The decision comes a day after Chief Minister V D Satheesan told the assembly that all KIIFB transactions, including land purchases in Kannur, would be scrutinised. Replying to the discussion on demand for grants on Tuesday, the chief minister said every project funded by taxpayers’ money would come under the scanner. The CM said much of the 1,000 acres purchased in Kannur was unusable. fall process near Narsapur from 2 am-8 am, packing wind speeds of 115 to 135 kmph with peak gusts reaching 150 kmph. The system made landfall about 20 km eastnortheast of Narsapur, 40 km southwest of Yanam, and 60 km southwest of Kakinada. Although the storm weakened into a severe cyclonic storm after moving inland, the IMD warned that severe weather risks persist. The toll included three electrocution fatalities in Visakhapatnam and Anakapalle districts. In West Godavari, a 45-year-old was killed when a tree crashed onto him, and another died after an electric pole fell on him. In a first, experience cinema round the clock at IFFK S hainu M ohan @ T’Puram The eager wait for rare midnight screenings at the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) is about to become a thing of the past. The film festival is set to break free from conventional screening hours, turning cinema into a round-the-clock experience. Starting this year, the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy plans to screen films through the day and night across multiple venues for six days of the festival, barring the opening and closing days. The 31st edition of the internationally acclaimed festival will be held from December 11 to 18 in Thiruvananthapuram. According to the organisers, the extended schedule is intended to accommodate senior citizens, office-goers and younger audiences while easing the rush during daytime shows. Academy chairperson Raveendran said the decision to make the festival 24X7 was taken considering the audience’s perspective. “Delegates come to IFFK not just to watch movies, but to experience cinema. We want to create a space where they can watch films at any time of the day or night,” Raveendran told TNIE. On introducing 7am screenings, he said the early slot is particularly convenient for senior citizens and regular office-goers. “Senior citizens can go for their morning walk, drop into the theatre to watch a film, and then go home to rest and relax for the day We . are calling it a ‘cinema with a morning walk’ concept!,” he said. The late-night shows are expected to draw younger audiences, particularly Gen Z cinephiles who may prefer watching films at night. “The primary goal behind extending the timing — late into the night and early in the morning — is to reduce the massive rush and long queues at venues,” said Raveendran. ● More on P4  Poor Cong show in 4 states with just 1 MLC seat E x pr e ss N e w s S e r v ic e @ Bengaluru/Mumbai/Patna/Lucknow THE Congress suffered a setback in the biennial Legislative Council elections as the party lost all but one seat. The BJP and its allies won 16 of the 28 seats that went to polls on October 23 in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The Congress’s dismal performance drew a jibe from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “MLC elections in 28 seats across 4 big states. Elections held using ballot papers. Guess how many seats Congress won?” Modi said in a post on X. 16 pages, including 4 pages of THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Express