BENGALURU  MONDAY  MAY 26, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 28  LATE CITY EDITION INDIA IS NOW THE FOURTH-LARGEST ECONOMY, AHEAD OF JAPAN: NITI India has become the fourth largest economy in the world, overtaking Japan, NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam said, quoting IMF data BVR Subrahmanyam, NITI Aayog CEO IMF FORECAST OF APRIL ON RIGHT TRACK INDIA’S PER CAPITA INCOME DOUBLED IN 10 YRS The International Monetary Fund (IMF), in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) report released in April, said that India is expected to be the fourth largest economy in the world with a GDP of $4.19 trillion in 2025, ahead of Japan. Citing IMF data, Subrahmanyam said,” “We are the fourth largest economy as I speak. We are a $4-trillion economy” I I India’s nominal GDP for 2025 (FY26) is expected to be $ 4.19 billion, marginally more than the likely GDP of Japan which is estimated at $4.187 billion, the IMF had said in its report on economic outlook According to data from the IMF, India’s per capita income has P10 doubled from $1,438 in 2013-14 to $2,880 in 2025 6.2% IS INDIAN ECONOMY’S PROJECCTED GROWTH RATE IN 2025-26 AS PER IMF CHENNAI I MADURAI I VIJAYAWADA I BENGALURU I KOCHI I HYDERABAD I VISAKHAPATNAM I COIMBATORE I KOZHIKODE I THIRUVANANTHAPURAM I BELAGAVI I BHUBANESWAR I SHIVAMOGGA I MANGALURU I TIRUPATI I TIRUCHY I TIRUNELVELI I SAMBALPUR I HUBBALLI I DHARMAPURI I KOTTAYAM I KANNUR I VILLUPURAM I KOLLAM I TADEPALLIGUDEM I NAGAPATTINAM I THRISSUR I KALABURAGI Pak sees India as ‘existential threat’, says US report J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PAKISTAN continues to view India as an existential threat and is expanding its nuclear arsenal accordingly, while India treats China as its primary strategic adversary and views Pakistan as a secondary concern. This assessment comes from the United States Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in its 2025 Worldwide Threat Assessment, which raises fresh concerns over rising tensions and military buildups in South Asia. The report highlights Pakistan’s ongoing efforts to modernise its military capabilities, particularly its nuclear weapons programme, with support from foreign sources — primarily China. Islamabad, it says, is committed to developing battlefield nuclear weapons to offset India’s conventional military superiority. “Pakistan regards India as an existential threat and will continue to pursue its military modernisation effort, including the development of battlefield nuclear weapons,” the DIA stated. While Islamabad remains focused on India, New Delhi is prioritising its response to China. “India views China as its primary adversary and Pakistan more an ancillary security problem to be managed,” the report says. OPERATION SINDOOR Not a one-off military action, says Modi MSC Elsa 3, which was on its way from Vizhinjam port to Kochi port, sinks in the Arabian sea on Sunday morning | EXPRESS Container ship sinks with hazardous cargo off Kochi E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Kochi POSING a major environmental risk to the Kerala coast, MSC Elsa 3, the container ship which was reported to have listed on Saturday, sank to the depths of the Arabian Sea on Sunday morning off Kochi coast. All 24 crew members have been rescued. The ship was carrying 643 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 holding calcium carbide. It also had 84.44 metric tonnes (MT) of diesel and 367.1 MT of furnace oil in its tanks. The Coast Guard said a comprehensive pollution response has been activated. A Dornier aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill mapping technology is carrying out an aerial assessment of the area. An emergency meeting of the state Disaster Management WHAT WENT CARGO: 643 containers 100 CONTAINERS HAZARDOUS CARGO: 13 containers DOWN fell off vessel and floating in the sea Location of capsize: 38 nautical miles from Kochi Depth at location: 53 m CALCIUM CARBIDE: 12 containers EMPTY CONTAINERS: 73 FURNACE OIL: 367.1 metric tonnes DIESEL: 84.44 metric tonnes Authority issued an alert for the coastline. Fishermen have been told not to conduct fishing operations in a 20-nautical-mile radius around the spot where the ship sank. Coastal residents have been asked not to approach any floating objects. The Department of Factories and Boilers, Kerala will form two teams to safely recover the containers while the State Pollution Control Board has set up two rapid response teams to deal with the potential oil spill. According to authorities, around 100 containers are floating and moving at a speed of 3 km per hour towards the Kerala coast. The remaining containers have sunk to a depth of 53 metres along with the ship. “At present, no oil spill has been reported. The Coast Guard is fully geared up to respond to the emerging scenario and is closely monitoring the environmental impact,” said defence spokesperson Cdr Atul Pillai. The shipping firm brought technical experts to salvage the containers. However, the efforts failed due to rough sea conditions and strong winds. K’taka records nearly 100 Covid cases EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bengaluru WITH nine new Covid-19 cases reported on Sunday, the total number of cases in Karnataka has reached nearly a hundred. Of them, 47 are active cases — 46 are isolating at home, while one is admitted to a private hospital. Though no deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, the state had a positivity rate of 8.65. In the last 24 hours, 104 tests, including RT-PCR and rapid antigen, have been conducted. The Health Department will increase daily RT-PCR tests to 150200 across the state following recommendations from the Covid Technical Advisory Committee. From Sunday testing for Severe , Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) cases too started. Individuals in high-risk groups, like the elderly, children and pregnant women, with symptoms of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) will be tested at both government and private hospitals. As the number of Covid cases remains relatively low, testing is concentrated at centres equipped with Viral Research and Diagnostic LaboraMORE P3 tories (VRDL). Following the onset of monsoon in Karnataka, water level in the Cauvery river has started to rise, as seen near Cheyyandane village in Kodagu on Sunday | EXPRESS Widespread rainfall forecast across Karnataka till May 28 I N D R A S @ Bengaluru WITH the monsoon setting in, Karnataka will witness intense and widespread rainfall from Sunday till May 28, as per the forecast issued by India Meteorolo gical De par tment (IMD) on Sunday . C o a s t a l , i n t e r i o r, northern and southern regions, including parts of Bengaluru, Udupi, and Dakshina Kannada, are likely to be impacted. These regions are also expected to experience strong winds ranging from 40-60 kmph. IMD has not issued any warning for Bengaluru, but Udupi, Chikkamgaluru and Shivamogga districts are under red alert. An orange alert has been issued for Dharwad and Belagavi till Monday. Weather conditions will ease from Thursday as no red alerts have been issued anywhere in the state, while only orange and yellow alerts have been sounded for coastal and south-interior parts of the state. Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts are likely to experience extremely heavy rainfall at isolated spots, with sustained winds of 40-50 kmph on Monday (May 26). Very heavy to extremely h e av y r a i n f a l l h a s b e e n predicted on Tuesday while in, tensity will reduce from Wednesday the IMD stated. P5 , Two die in Malnad Two people died in tree fall incidents as heavy rain pounded Malnad region on Saturday and Sunday. At Arji village in Virajpet, a tribal woman was crushed to death when a tree fell on her. In Koppa taluk, an auto driver died after a tree fell on his vehicle. It’s temp staff that runs Gulbarga varsity RAMKRISHNA BADSESHI @ Kalaburagi GULBARGA University offers an object lesson in how not to run a higher educational institution. The university does not have a vicechancellor. It plods along with only two professors and four associate professors. Once a prestigious learning centre in Kalyana-Karnataka, it has been reduced to a university of guest faculty. More than 70 per cent of the sanctioned posts have re- mained vacant. The university’s admissions have declined over the years, with only 3,000 students studying across its 80 colleges at present. Consider this -- in 2022-23, over 2,000 students took admission and the numbers fell to a mere 800 in 2023-24. The declining number of students’ intake captures the administrative morass the university finds itself in. The university was set up on September 10, 1980, with the bifurcation of Karnataka University. Earlier, it functioned as the Postgraduate Centre of Karnataka University from 1970 to 1980. Over the years, as the state government set up new universities, Gulbarga University lost its stature as Raichur University (2021) and Bidar University (2023) came into existence. Raichur University has jurisdiction over colleges in Raichur and Yadgir districts, while Gulbarga University’s authority is over colleges only in Kalaburagi district. With bifurcations and dwindling number of colleges, revenues of Gulbarga UniverP2 sity have plummeted. The search committees constituted to shortlist the names of candidates for the posts of vicechancellors have submitted their reports. The reports would be sent to CM Siddaramaiah in a day or two MC Sudhakar, minister RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ New Delhi OPERATION Sindoor was a turning point in the global fight against terror showing India’s growing strength and clarity of purpose, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday . “Operation Sindoor is not just a military mission; it is a picture of our resolve, courage and a transforming India and this picture has infused the whole country with a sense of patriotism and has painted it in the hues of the Tricolor,” Modi said in his monthly radio broadcast programme Mann Ki Baat. Terming the precision with which Indian forces attacked the terrorist infrastructure across the border as “extraordinary”, the PM B’DESH COURT BEGINS FIRST TRIAL OF HASINA-ERA OFFICIALS emphasised that the operation was not a one-off military action, but a reflection of a changing and resolute India. Crediting India’s homegrown defence capabilities for the mission’s success, he said: “This was the ultimate bravery of our soldiers, backed by the power of weapons, equipment, and technology made in India.” Modi said Operation Sindoor has infused the entire nation with a sense of patriotism with people preferring Made in India goods over imported ones. Notably leaders of the rul, ing National Democratic Alliance (NDA), who had gathered in New Delhi for a meeting of NDA CMs and deputy CMs, for a meeting, listened to the PM’s radio broadcast together. A Crimes Tribunal accepted charges against Dhaka’s former police commissioner and seven others for crimes during last year’s uprising in Bangladesh | P9 Lalu expels elder son from RJD, snaps ties R A M A S H A N K A R @ Patna AHEAD of the Bihar assembly election, RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Sunday expelled his elder son and MLA Tej Pratap Yadav from the party for six years and snapped all family ties with him for posting pictures on social media, ‘revealing’ his 12-year-old relationship with a woman. The RJD supremo’s action came a day after a post from Tej Pratap’s Facebook handle went viral. In the post, Tej Pratap is seen with a woman, Anuskha Yadav, in a photograph where he said that he had 12-year-long relationship with her. After the post gained traction, Tej Pratap claimed on ‘X’ that his social media platforms had been hacked. 12-Page Special Edition on Engineering Potential in Mysuru for Aspiring Students