5 min readNew DelhiJun 27, 2026 09:16 AM IST
First published on: Jun 27, 2026 at 09:16 AM IST
Good morning!
Since 2020, a quiet transformation has been unfolding across Haryana’s villages. Libraries and reading rooms have mushroomed with one aim: helping students crack competitive examinations. Built under the Haryana government’s Atal e-Libraries scheme, these facilities stock books for competitive exams and attract hundreds of government job aspirants. According to officials, the Haryana government has set up 985 libraries, spending Rs 150 crore. For many rural youths, the libraries are a symbol of Haryana’s growing aspiration. They have drawn thousands of students across the state. About 40 library regulars in Gorakhpur have secured government jobs since it was set up in October 2020.
With that, let’s move on to the top five stories from today’s edition:
🚨 Big Story
An investigation by The Indian Express found Bhagirath Choudhary, the Rajasthan Minister of State in the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, had received a subsidy of Rs 99,60,000 almost three months ago through a scheme under his own ministry. The subsidy was approved by a board in which he is ex-officio Vice-President. Official data shows that of the 467 projects, with a total cost of Rs 144 crore and covering an area of 677 acres, that were approved during the financial year 2025-26 under this scheme, there were 60 that received over Rs 50 lakh each as subsidy. On paper, the MoS has no direct role in approving projects for subsidy under the scheme. The final approval is granted by a committee that does not include the board’s president or vice-president. We sent a questionnaire to Choudhary, detailing its findings, and seeking his response on whether the subsidy constituted a case of conflict of interest.
More beneficiaries: It’s not just the Union Minister. The mother, wife and son of a senior IAS officer, Naresh Pal Gangwar, are also among the beneficiaries in Rajasthan of the Centre’s scheme, according to records investigated by The Indian Express. Gangwar, a 1994-batch Rajasthan-cadre IAS officer, who is a Secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, received a total of over Rs 1.16 crore in subsidies across five years under the scheme. Gangwar has, however, disclosed details of only one project approved under the scheme in the mandatory annual declaration of immovable property with the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) for 2021-22.
⚡ Only in Express
“When politicians are busy drawing up stringent anti-immigration laws, football, as this World Cup has shown, is dismantling the boundaries drawn by men. The walls are crumbling at the outposts of the game.”
What does it actually take to form a football team? From France to England, Australia, Spain and the United States, national football teams have immigrants at the centre of their game. Now, at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the immigrant players are deified across the globe regardless of nationality. It’s also the paradox of the tournament — that while the World Cup is being held in the backdrop of anti-immigrant policies across Europe and the US, it is being lit up by the children of those who left their countries for a better living, or just to live. My colleague Sandip G takes a deep dive into what it takes to form a winning team: a dream, a park and a country left behind.
💡 Express Explained
Following the death of a school-going boy in a road accident, the Supreme Court last week recognised walking on demarcated footpaths as a fundamental right, urging the government to introduce a law that declares this right. India stands distinct in having the world’s highest number of road accident fatalities. The court said this was the result of the exclusion of pedestrians in the way roads are built. The lack of safe roads worsens poorer peoples’ quality of life and prospects, constrains children’s access to school and playtime, and deprives adults of the health and well-being effects of walking in wealthier neighbourhoods. Then what precisely is the legal import of the right to walk, and how can it have a real effect on the ground? We explain.
✍️ Express Opinion
In our Opinion section today, Faizan Mustafa delves deeper into the ongoing debate on proof of Indian citizenship, as the Ministry of External Affairs declared passports as nothing more than a travel document. Analysing several Constitutional amendments and legislations, Mustafa writes: “The proof of citizenship should be demanded only from those who are caught while crossing over to India, or a foreigner found in India with a passport of another country, or those born abroad. For anyone born in India, there must be a presumption of citizenship, and voter ID and a passport must be taken as conclusive proof of citizenship.”
🎥 Movie Review
Wondering what to watch this weekend? Well, we’ve got you covered! Supergirl, starring Milly Alcock, has hit the theatres, bringing you a comical tale of a “superhero who, at least initially, would rather be drunk senseless than do the whole saviour routine,” Shalini Langer writes in her review. Langer continues: “Alcock hits the right notes without trying too hard, and co-writer-director Craig Gillespie allows her to do that by keeping Supergirl unweighted by the burden of too many expectations even as she hops imaginatively from one planet to another.”
That’s it for today! Have a lovely weekend!
Until next time,
Ariba
Business As Usual by E P Unny
Top news on June 27, 2026. 
Business As Usual by E P Unny
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