TIRUCHY l wednesday l january 18, 2023 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION China’s population down for the first time since 1961 China’s population in 2022 — 1.4118 billion — fell by 850,000 from 2021, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday India may emerge most populous country China birth rate slips to 6.77 per 1,000 With China’s demographic crisis deepening, India may take its place as the most populous country in the world. According to the World Population Prospects-2022 report released by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, India’s population is estimated to touch 1.428 billion by July 2023, surpassing China’s figure by a small margin | P12 ■ According to the latest data, China registered about 9.56 million new-borns last year, down from 10.62 million in 2021. China’s birth rate stood at 6.77 births per 1,000 people in 2022, down from 7.52 in 2021, according to National Bureau of Statistics data ■ The last time China reported a population decline was in 1961 1.67 bn Projected population of India in 2050, against China’s 1.3 billion 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 J P Nadda gets a year more at BJP helm till LS poll road rage turns ugly as man dragged by scooterist for 600 m 2 1 3 4 Aims for huge majority in general elections R a j e s h K u m a r T h a k u r @ New Delhi PUTTING to rest all speculation, the BJP on Tuesday extended party chief J P Nadda’s tenure till June 2024 after wider consultation at the National Executive Committee meeting. Apparently, the BJP’s defeat in the last Assembly election in Nadda’s home state Himachal Pradesh did not have any bearing on his extension. Announcing the decision, Union home minister and BJP’s principal strategist Amit Shah said the party under Nadda’s leadership got a better strike rate in Bihar and won elections in other states. Shah said Nadda helped the party grow in Telangana and West Bengal. Shah added that Nadda brought vibrancy to the party by connecting with the masses. “During the pandemic, our party has done significant works under Nadda ji’s leadership, be it about providing food and rations to the poor or taking people to hospitals for checkups and treatment,” he added. He expressed confidence that the BJP under Prime Minister , Narendra Modi and party chief Nadda, will win the 2024 elections with a bigger mandate than 2019. Advani had longest tenure as party prez Name Term Years A B Vajpayee 1 6 L K Advani 3 11 M M Joshi 1 2 Kushabhai Thakre 1 2 Bangaru Laxman 1 1 J Krishnamurthy 1 1 Venkaiah Naidu 1 2 Rajnath Singh 2 5 Nitin Gadakari 1 4 Amit Shah 2 6 J P Nadda 2 June’19-June’24 After the decision was announced, Nadda tweeted, “We have to form the BJP government in the next Lok Sabha elections with more than twothirds majority under the leadership of Modi ji.” Nadda’s tenure extension was expected in view of the upcoming elections in nine states and the general elections. On Monday the first day of , the two-day national executive committee meeting, Nadda himself had dropped hints about his extension by calling upon party leaders to gear up for elections in nine states. Nadda’s tenure was to expire on January 19. During the past 42 years, the BJP has elected 11 national presidents. Horror on bengaluru road, passersby saviours (1) Videograb of a 71-year-old man clinging on to the pillion grab handle of a running scooter. It dragged him for about 600 metres. The two-wheeler had rammed the elderly man’s car from behind, which triggered the confrontation. (2) Passersby on vehicles block the scooter. (3) The elderly man trying to get back on his feet. (4) A member of the public chiding the errant scooter rider Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif created a flutter by claiming his country had learnt a “lesson” and wanted the UAE’s help to set up a peace talks table with India. A day later, his office in Islamabad tamped down expectations by drawing attention to Sharif ’s consistent position that talks with India can only take place after the latter restores Article 370 in Kashmir and reverses its decision of bifurcating J&K in 2019. India chose not to respond to any of these statements made either by Sharif or his office. In an interview to a Dubaibased Arabic channel on Mon- Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara’s daughter is in Chennai Chennai: Aleida Guevara, daughter of Cuban revolutionary Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, arrived in Chennai on Tuesday. She would participate in a meet on Wednesday in which DMK MP Kanimozhi and VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan will take part | P4 IN a shocking incident, a 71year-old man was dragged for about 600 metres by a bike rider after he clung on to the two-wheeler which rammed his car from behind. The 25year-old rider was chased by other commuters and forcibly stopped. The youth was roughed up before the police took him into custody . The incident took place in Bengaluru on Tuesday afternoon. The victim, Muthappa Shivayogi Thontapur, sustained bruises while the accused, Sahil, a salesman, was arrested on charges of attempt to murder. Trade relations frozen Trade ties between Pakistan and India have been frozen since Article 370 was hollowed out in J&K on August 5, 2019. “Without India’s revocation of this step, negotiations are not possible,” the Pakistan prime minister’s office said day, Sharif said, “I have requested my brother President Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed (who also has good relations with India) that he can play an important role in bringing the two countries to the talking table.” He was in the UAE for bilateral talks with Zayed. Pakistan, he said, has learnt its lesson and “we want to live in peace provided we are able to resolve our genuine problems.... We have three wars with India and it only brought more misery poverty and unemployment , to the people. Want to live in peace with India. My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is that let us sit down on the table and have serious and sin- cere talks to resolve our burning issues like Kashmir.” Sharif added, “We want to alleviate poverty, achieve prosperity, and provide education and health facilities and employment to our people and not waste our resources on bombs and ammunition.” That, he said, was the message he want to give to Modi. “It is up to us to live peacefully and make progress or quarrel with each other, and waste time and resources,” he added. Interestingly, a joint statement issued by UAE and Pakistan after the bilateral talks made no mention of India. But the UAE had in the past prodded Pakistan to explore peace with India. Two die in manjuvirattu; man tames 26 bulls to win a car in Alanganallur Expr e ss N e ws S e rv i c e @ Sivaganga, Pudukkottai, Madurai Sa r ava n a n M P @ Tiruppur express read @ Bengaluru Pak PM offers peace talks, but ties it to 370 6k acres of farm land turn plots in 2 TN districts At least 5,900 acres of fertile agricultural land along Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) canal in Tiruppur and Coimbatore districts have turned into housing plots and wind farms over the past few years due to a surge in demand for real estate projects and fall in agricultural income. According to a report of the public works department’s Water Resource Organisation (WRO), the total farm land under four irrigation zones of the PAP canal spread across the two districts was 3,77,152 acres. Recently, officials identified 3,500 acres in Tiruppur district that were converted into housing plots and wind farms and removed them from irrigation land coverage (Azmoish) under the project. About 2,400 acres have been identified in Coimbatore district and they will also be removed soon, officials said. (Azmoish is calculated based on crops that are harvested after the release of water under a canal system.) V Ramalingam (65) a farmer said, “I own five acres of land at Poonalkinar village in Udumalaipet taluk. Coconut is the primary crop. I also cultivate some maize, cotton and sunflower depending on demand.  Continued on: P5 Expr e ss N e ws S e rv i c e Security scare Videograb of a man rushing towards Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to try and embrace him, which raised security concerns, during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district on Tuesday. Rahul took it sportingly, describing it as over-excitement on the individual and not a security breakdown | PTI China lifts hold, Makki now a global terrorist standing and persistent efforts made over the last several IN a big diplomatic win for In- months, along with partner dia, the UN Security Council countries. ISIL and Al Qaida Sanctions A total of five names were Committee listed Abdul Reh- submitted by India for designaman Makki, the brothtion under 1267 during er-in-law of Lashkar2022. Abdul Rehman e-Taiba (LeT) leader Makki (LeT), Abdul Hafiz Saeed, as a gloRauf Asghar (JeM), bal terrorist. Sajid Mir (LeT), ShaWe welcome the This happened after decision of the UN hid Mahmood (LeT), China removed its Security Council’s Talha Saeed (LeT). hold on a joint India- to list LeT terrorist Each of these five Abdul Rehman US proposal to blacknames was initially Makki… who… has list the Pak-based depplaced on technical occupied various uty chief of LeT. leadership roles in hold by China, while Decisions to list indiall other 14 members LeT, including viduals and entities of the Council agreed raising funds for under the sanctions to their listing. the organisation committee are made Makki’s case was Arindam Bagchi, through consensus. submitted on June 1, spokesperson, India had made list2022 by India with US Ministry of External ings of Pakistan-based joining as a co-desigAffairs terrorists a top priornating state. China ity of its UNSC tenure placed a technical hold during 2021-22. Even though on 16 June 2022 and after the the successful listing comes six-month period again rejust after India left the Council, n e we d i t s h o l d i n m i d this was a culmination of long December. Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi Two spectators were gored to death in two separate manjuvirattu events held in Siravayal of Sivaganga and K Rayavaram of Pudukkottai, while Poovanthi Abi Sithar of Sivaganga won the CM’s prize for taming the most number of bulls in Alanganallur jallikattu on Tuesday . In the first incident, a 52year-old spectator was gored to death outside the arena during the manjuvirattu held near Tirupattur of Sivaganga district. Boominathan of Sukkampatti of Madurai was rushed to Karaikudi GH where he succumbed to his injuries. Around 130 tamers, owners and spectators were injured in the event. Around 190 bulls took part in the event held on a 200-acre open land. In the second incident, U Ganesan (50), a spectator from Puthuvayal of Sivaganga district, was gored to death at the manjuvirattu at K Rayavaram in Arimalam union of Pudukkottai district. Sources said only 218 of 247 regis- A bull and a tamer at Alanganallur jallikattu on Tuesday | k k sundar tered bulls were allowed to take part in the event. About 825 bulls and 465 tamers took part in the renowned Alanganallur jallikattu inaugurated by youth welfare minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Tuesday Poovanthi Abi Sithar . (Sivaganga district), who won the first prize by dominating 26 bulls, was given a brand new car on behalf of Chief Minister M K Stalin and a milch cow. Similarly, a star bull that dodged tamers also won its owner, Pudukkottai Kaikkurichi Tamilselvan, a car and a cow. In another jallikattu event at Vanniyanviduthi in Pudukottai, around 290 tamers entered the arena to take on 542 bulls. At least 25 were injured during the event. (With inputs from Vignesh V from Sivaganga, Nacchinarkkiniyan from Pudukkottai and Jeyalakshmi Ramanujam from Madurai). Thontapur, a publisher by profession, was going for some work in his Bolero when the incident happened. While driving, he got a call on his phone. He pulled over the car and stepped out to answer it. Then, the accused rammed his bike into the car from the rear. When the motorcyclist tried to speed away, Thontapur clung on to the pillion grab handle. Thontapur alleged that even after noticing him being dragged, the rider increased the speed. “I would have forgiven him had he stopped and apologised. But, he was adamant,” he said adding that the rider was speaking on phone when he hit the car. Flier opens emergency exit by mistake E X P R ESS N E W S SE R V I C E @ Chennai/New Delhi/Bengaluru An emergency exit of an Indigo flight was accidentally unlocked by a passenger last month while the aircraft was on the ground, delaying it for over two hours. The incident on Flight 6E 7339 from Chennai to Tiruchirapalli and was reported to the aviation regulator, DGCA, Indigo Airlines revealed in a statement on Tuesday . The statement came after allegations that the passenger in question was Tejaswi Surya, first-time MP from Bengaluru South and national president of the BJP Yuva Morcha. There was no wo r d f r o m Surya about the incident. The airline did not reveal the identity of the passenger, but went on to add that the flier apologised for the error. The ATR 72-600 aircraft was scheduled to take off at 10.05 am but was delayed by more than two hours. “The event was duly reported. It appears that by mistake the RH emergency exit got opened by a passenger while the aircraft was on ground. The crew took note and resultantly all appropriate airworthiness actions, such as reinstalling of door, pressurisation check etc., were carried out before the release of the aircraft for departure. No safety was compromised,” the DGCA said. However, the Karnataka Congress went ballistic against Surya. “Why did he apologise and go to the backseat? What disaster he wanted to create,” it asked. AICC general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, “The BJP VIP Brats! How dare the airline complain? Is it the norm for the BJP power elite? Did it compromise passenger safety?” Urban TN to get 708 ‘Mohalla Clinics’ next month Expr e ss N e ws S e rv i c e @ Thanjavur Tamil Nadu will see a string of 708 urban hospitals, modelled on Delhi’s Mohalla Clinics, going operational from February . Construction of 500 urban hospitals announced in the last budget is already over, said health minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday In each of the . 708 hospitals, there will be a doctor, a pharmacist and an assistant, he said. He was talking to reporters after participating in the event organised to celebrate the completion of 1,000 free cleft lip and palate surgeries done through the NGO SmileTrain India at Meenakshi Hospital in Thanjavur. The recruitment of staff for these hospitals is under way. He said the chief minister would inaugurate them in the first or second week of February Of the 12 such hos. pitals to be set up in Thanjavur district, eight will be in Thanjavur corporation area, three will be in Kumbakonam and one in Pattukkottai municipality sources , said. According to him, of the 25 new primary health centres (PHCs) proposed in the state, one is coming up in Thippirajapuram village in Thanjavur CM to inaugurate in first or 2nd week of feb Thanjavur: Construction work for 500 urban hospitals announced in the last budget by the DMK government is already over. There will be a doctor, a pharmacist and an assistant in each of the 708 hospitals. district. The minister also inspected a newly-built PHC at Maharnonbu Chavadi area in Thanjavur. Work for the hospitals planned on the lines of Delhi’s Mohalla Clinic has been completed in a short span of 10 months. Stalin had visited Delhi Government model school and a Mohalla Clinic in East Delhi along with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on April 1, 2022, during his three-day visit to the capital. The CM was impressed by the reach of such clinics and wanted to replicate the idea in Tamil Nadu.  P5