TADEPALLIGUDEM  MONDAY  MAY 26, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  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” ■ ■ India’s nominal GDP for 2025 (FY26) is expected to be $ 4.18 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 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 ■ 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 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. Pakistan is also deepening its military relationship with China, which is believed to be the main supplier of defence technologies supporting Pakistan’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programmes. As of 2024, Pakistan is estimated to possess around 170 nuclear warheads. 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. The DIA warns that despite temporary calm, the risk of future escalation remains high. OPERATION SINDOOR Not a one-off military action, says Modi MSC Elsa 3, which was on its way from Vizhinjam port to Kochi port, sinking 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. The vessel was carrying 643 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 holding calcium carbide. Additionally the ship has 84.44 met, ric tonnes of diesel and 367.1 MT of furnace oil in its tanks. The Coast Guard said a comprehensive pollution response has been activated to contain potential oil spill. 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 Vijayawada: The Health Department has withdrawn its Covid-19 advisory issued on May 21, citing low severity of cases, negligible hospitalisations, and the absence of an advisory from the Government of India, the commissioner said in a letter| P3 Nellore: Former YSRCP minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy, who had been evading arrest for nearly two months, was reportedly taken into custody by special police teams in Bengaluru on Sunday. The arrest comes in connection with multiple serious charges | P4 EC announces bypolls for five Assembly seats New Delhi: The Election Commission of India on Sunday announced the schedule for holding Assembly bypolls to fill vacancies from two segments in Gujarat and one each in Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal. Voting will take place on June 19 | P8 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 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. “Presently, 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. Chief Minister Nara Chandra Babu Naidu and his family members perform house warming ceremony rituals at his home town in Kuppam on Sunday | EXPRESS Naidu, Pawan hail PM as India becomes 4th largest economy EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Former minister Kakani arrested CARGO: 643 containers A NEW BEGINNING EXPRESS READ State govt withdraws Covid-19 advisory WHAT WENT @ Vijayawada CHIEF Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan on Sunday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “bold and visionary leadership” as India officially overtook Japan to become world’s fourth-largest economy . Naidu stated that, according to data released by the IMF, India is on track to surpass Germany and become the thirdlargest economy globally by 2028. “Today, we are at a juncture where all states must come together and join forces to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. As the nation marches toward this dream, Andhra Pradesh is set to be India’s growth engine while striving to achieve the goal of Swar na Andhra @ 2047,” Naidu posted on ‘X’. Stating that India has successfully emerged as the world’s fourth largest economy with a , GDP of $4.18 trillion, Pawan Kalyan said that this historic achievement demonstrates PM Modi’s visionary leadership. “Over the past decade Under NDA Good Governance Bharat growth story driven by innovation, infrastructure, inclusion, and digital transformation. This achievement is more than just economic, it reflects New India’s growing global prominence. This is a significant step towards becoming the world’s 3rd largest economy and leading the way towards Viksit Bharat - 2047,” Pawan Kalyan mentioned on ‘X’. ‘JOIN HANDS TO REALISE VIKSIT BHARAT 2047’ CM Chandrababu Naidu has stated that, according to the data released by International Monetary Fund, India is on track to surpass Germany and become the third-largest economy by 2028. “Today, we are at a juncture where all states must come together and join forces to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047,” CM Chandrababu Naidu posted in ‘X’ C’garh reluctant to hand over Kesava’s body: Kin CHOWDARI LAKSHMANA RAO @ Srikakulam SUSPENSE continues as the government has yet to hand over the body of slain top Maoist leader Namballa Kesava Rao to his family, who are eager to perform the last rites. The Maoist general secretary was killed in an encounter in Narayanpur Chhattisgarh on May 21. Following the encounter, family members, particularly his two brothers, Dhilleswara Rao and Ram Prasad, initiated efforts to bring his mortal remains back to his native village from Chhattisgarh to conduct the last rites according to their customs. “We have been trying to retrieve Kesava Rao’s body and met the senior police officials in both Narayanpur and Srikakulam district in this regard. However, they denied our request, saying it is a policy matter of the government,” Kesava Rao’s elder brother, N Dhilleswara Rao, told TNIE. P4 The police are now asking us to provide a recent family photo with Kesava Rao Ram Prasad, Kesava Rao’s brother 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 12year-old relationship with a woman. Announcing Tej Pratap’s expulsion, Lalu said on X, “Ignoring moral values in personal life weakens our collective struggle for social justice. The activities, public conduct and irresponsible behaviour of the eldest son are not in conformity with our family values and traditions.” 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.