madurai l thursday l june 20, 2024 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l late city EDITION more than 21 lakh people died in India due to air pollution in 2021 Globally 81 lakh deaths were due to breathing in polluted air, up from 66 lakh in 2019, says the report by US-based Health Effects Institute a leading cause of death among children India, china account for 54% of fatalities For children, exposure to air pollution was the second-leading risk factor for death globally in 2021, after malnutrition. As per the report, about 7.09 lakh children worldwide, including 1.69 lakh in India, died as a result of breathing polluted air. About 72% of these deaths were linked to exposure to household air pollution from burning solid fuels for cooking ■ ■ ■ Air pollution was the second-largest risk factor of deaths among adults, after high blood pressure. In 2019, it was the fourth India and China (23 lakh deaths) were the two leading countries for air pollution deaths followed by Pakistan (2,56,000 deaths) The report blamed PM25 particles for 90% of air pollution deaths | P7 99% of people exposed to unhealthy levels of PM25 particles, says report 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 Ahead of key state polls, MSP for 14 crops hiked 80 Indian Hajj R a j e s h KUMAR T h a k u r @ New Delhi Ahead of elections in key states like Haryana, Maharashtra and Jharkhand and the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir later this year, the Centre on Wednesday raised the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 14 Kharif crops for the 2024-25 marketing season. The MSP for ‘common’ grade paddy has been raised `117 to `2,300 per quintal, while for the ‘A’ grade variety it has been hiked to `2,320 per quintal for the upcoming Kharif season, Union information and broad- casting minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters. The MSP hike is in line with the 2018-19 announcement of fixing it at a level of at least 1.5 times of the all-India weighted average cost of production, the government said. “By increasing MSP the gov, ernment aims to provide a safety net for farmers, enabling them to cover their cost of production and secure a fair return on investment,” a senior leader of the NDA said. However, critics said while the MSP hike provides immediate relief to farmers, it must be complemented with broader reforms. The decision comes amid continuing protests by farmers over various demands including guaranteed MSP and the criticism from some quarters that the BJP government’s alleged failure to address farmers’ demands contributed to its lacklustre performance in the Lok Sabha elections. In the three poll-bound states, farmers make up a large chunk of the population, especially in rural areas, and can play a key role in shaping the outcome. The MSP hike comes despite the Food Corporation of India holding a record stockpile of 53.4 million tonnes of rice. Minimum Support Prices for all Kharif crops for Marketing Season 2024-25 Values in Rupees per quintal MSP 2024-25 Cost* KMS 2024-25 Margin over cost (%) MSP 2023-24 Increase in 2024-25 Common 2,300 1,533 50 2,183 117 Grade A^ 2,320 - - 2,203 117 Hybrid 3,371 2,247 50 3,180 191 - - 3,225 196 Crops Paddy Jowar Maldandi” 3,421 Tur /Arhar 7,550 4,761 59 7,000 550 Moong 8,682 5,788 50 8,558 124 Maize 2,225 1,447 54 2,090 124 Cotton (Medium) 7,121 4,747 50 6,620 501 Govt open to fresh 16 dead, over 60 hospitalised after NEET-UG for all if drinking illicit arrack in K’kurichi the SC issues orders K r i t h i ka S r i n i vasa n @ Kallakurichi K e ta n N a r o t ta m Ta n n a UGC-NET cancelled, CBI probe ordered The Union Education Ministry is not averse to conducting a fresh round of the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance TestUndergraduate (NEET-UG), subject to directives from the Supreme Court’s scheduled hearing on July 8. An official source told this paper that the ministry is ready to organise a retest for all 24 lakh NEET-UG aspirants if the court gives the go-ahead. Sources suggested that one potential approach is to not limit the retest to the 1,563 candidates who were given grace marks and open it to all the students who want to go for re-examination. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducted the medical exams, informed the Supreme Court that retest for the over 1,500 students will be conducted on June 23 and the results will be announced by June 30. The court has not stalled the counselling process, which will begin from July 6. When asked whether this would entail a comprehensive The education ministry on Wednesday proactively cancelled the UGC-NET exam following inputs that its integrity may have been compromised. The schedule of the fresh exam will be announced later @ New Delhi retest rather than a selective approach, sources acknowledged the possibility of a complete new exam if directed by the court. They also highlighted Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s “profound concern” regarding the NEET-UG controversy, underscoring his commitment to addressing it as a “top priority”. “The minister’s main objective is to identify the root cause and rectify it as soon as possible,” a source said. This year’s exam posed a unique challenge: a record number of candidates got the perfect score on 720 on 720, significantly altering the ranking dynamics and intensifying competition for medical college admission, especially in government colleges. U.S. team meets Dalai Lama, China protests YESHI SELI @ New Delhi AMID war nings from China, a bipartisan US Congressional delegation met the Dalai Lama and officials of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamsala on Wednesday. The delegation, led by US House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul and comprising ex-House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, assured the spiritual leader of US support for full autonomy Dalai Lama being greeted by for Tibet. McCaul said Beijing’s Nancy Pelosi at the former’s claim that Tibet has been residence in Dharamsala on part of China since an- Wednesday | pti cient times is false. Lashing out at Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pelosi said the Dalai Lama will live long and his legacy forever. “But you, the President of China, will be gone and nobody will give you credit for anything,” she said. The visit follows passage of the Resolve Tibet Act by the US Congress, which urges Beijing to re-engage with Tibetan leaders. The Dalai Lama will fly to the US this week for his knee surgery . It is still my hope that one day His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his people will return to Tibet in peace Michael McCaul At least 16 people died and more than 60 others were hospitalised after they allegedly consumed illicit ‘packet arrack’ at Karunapuram in Kallakurichi district on Wednesday A labora. tory test showed presence of deadly methanol in the arrack samples. According to official sources, the death toll may go up. While a press release from the Director of Information and Public Relations in Chennai on Wednesday night said five people had died and 24 more were hospitalised, officials sources in the Kallakurichi district put the death toll at 16 and the number of those who reported to the government hospital in Kallakurichi with symptoms was at 72. Of these, 32 had been referred to other hospitals like (From left) One of the patients admitted at Kallakurichi Government Medical College Hospital; district officials checking on the patients on Wednesday | Express JIPMER in Puducherry and government hospitals in Salem and Villupuram. The deceased have been identified as G Praveenkumar (26), D Suresh (40), K Sekar (59), S Vadivukkarasi, C Kandhan, P Jagadeesan, R Suresh, M Selvam, and M Arumugam. The names of other victims have not been confirmed yet. According to sources in the district, the people affected were predominantly from Karunapuram colony in Kallakurichi municipality. They had consumed arrack sold in packets. Police have arrested K Govindaraj (49), who allegedly sold the arrack, and seized 200 litres of ‘poisonous arrack’ from him, according to the DIPR release. As per preliminary inquiry, the majority of those affected had gathered for a funeral at Karunapuram colony on Tuesday following which they consumed the illicit liquor. P4 express read Heavy rainfall to continue in parts of Tamil Nadu till Sunday Chennai: Several parts of Tamil Nadu will continue to receive heavy rainfall till June 23 and the maximum temperature is likely to be near normal. The southwest monsoon will be vigorous over Nilgiris and ghat areas of Coimbatore where heavy to very heavy rain is forecasted for June 22 and 23. Tiruppur, Dindigul, Theni, Erode, Salem and Dharmapuri may receive heavy rainfall. Chennai may get light to moderate rain pilgrims die of extreme heat Over 900 dead as day-time temperature in Mecca goes past 50°C; 600 are from Egypt Y e s h i S e l i @ New Delhi at least 922 people, including 80 Indians, have died of scorching heat during the five-day Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. A number of Indians are reportedly missing. “Nine of the dead are from Jammu and Kashmir. The deaths are due to extreme heat and also due to old age. Two Indians died in road accidents,” said a source. Nearly 1.75 lakh Indians went for Hajj, which commenced from June 13. Official sources said India extended all possible support to make the pilgrims’ stay comfortable and even facilitated their transfer to Makkah from Riyadh on a high-speed train. According to AFP 600 , of the 922 who died are Egyptians. Fatalities have been confirmed by Jordan, Indonesia, Iran, Senegal, Tunisia, and Kurdistan. Last year more than 200 pilgrims were reported dead, most of them from Indonesia. This year’s tragedy could be the third deadliest incident at Hajj after the 2015 stampede in Mina that killed 2,400 pilgrims and the 1990 stampede that killed 1,426 people. The Saudi government has not provided any official information on fatalities so far, though it flagged 2,700 cases of ‘heat exhaustion’ on Sunday . Sources said the toll could go up as scores of pilgrims are reported missing by their relatives, who scoured hospitals and took to social media. Facebook and other social media networks were flooded with pictures of the missing and requests for leads. About 1.8 million people from all over the world, many old and infirm, took part in the days-long, mostly outdoor pilgrimage, held this year during the oven-like Saudi summer. Temperatures are hovering over 50 degrees Celsius in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city . According to a Saudi study published last month, temperatures in the area are rising 0.4 degrees Celsius each decade. Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is considered a must for every Muslim who can afford the trip and is physically able to make it. Nearly 1.75 lakh Indians went for Hajj this year, which commenced from June 13. Official sources said India extended all possible support to make the pilgrims’ stay comfortable and even facilitated their transfer to Makkah from Riyadh on a high-speed train.