kannur l monday l may 26, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l 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 In line with imf april forecast 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 Container ship sinks with hazardous cargo Comprehensive pollution response activated to contain oil spill Winds, currents may bring 100 containers that fell off to coast At 7.50 am, the vessel capsizes at the spot, where the sea is 53m deep. As many as 100 containers fall off vessel, nearly 500 remaining containers go down with the ship Action being taken Risks: Oil spill, pollution Dornier aircraft with advanced oil spill mapping technology flying sorties to assess the situation Coast Guard, Navy, Port authorities start mobilising booms and skimmers to manage oil spill contingency Rescue operations by Indian Navy and Coast Guard Vessels involved in rescue: INS Satpura, INS Sujata, ICGS Arnvesh and ICGS Saksham Kerala issues alert for coastline b ia n Se a ramasha n kar @ Patna ernakulam Ara May 24 Liberia-flagged container vessel MSC Elsa 3 lists 38 nautical miles off the coast of Kochi around 1.25pm, while on its way from Vizhinjam May 25 What went down 74 km On board alappuzha Cargo: kollam 643 containers Hazardous cargo: 13 containers Calcium carbide: 12 containers Empty: 73 containers Diesel: 84.44 tonnes Furnace oil: 367.1 tonnes 24 crew members (all rescued) The Coast Guard has deployed a Dornier aircraft with advanced oil spill mapping tech to assess the situation. Presently, no oil spill has been reported. The Coast Guard is fully geared up to respond to the emerging scenario Cmdr Atul Pillai, defence spokesperson What next: Factories and boilers department to form two rapid response teams (RRTs) to safely recover containers floating in coastal sea. Kerala State Pollution Control Board forms two RRTs to prevent oil spill from reaching coastal areas Pak sees India as ‘existential threat’, says US report J aya n th J ac 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. EXPRESS READ Red alert in 11 dists as heavy rains lash Kerala T’Puram: The IMD has issued a red alert for 11 districts in Kerala on Monday, forecasting intense rainfall across the state. The districts under red alert are Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur, and Kasaragod | P4 Lalu expels elder son from RJD, snaps ties MSC Elsa 3, the Liberia-flagged container vessel carrying 643 containers, sinks in the Arabian Sea 14 nautical miles off Thottappally harbour in Alappuzha on Sunday E x p ress Ne w s S er v ice @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 around 14 nautical miles off Thottappally harbour, in Alappuzha district, at 7.50am on Sunday . The vessel was carrying 643 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 holding calcium carbide. Additionally, the ship has 84.44 metric tonnes (MT) of diesel and 367.1 MT of furnace oil in its tanks. The Coast Guard Kerala headquarters said that a comprehensive pollution response has been activated to contain the oil spill, adding that it is working in close coordination with state administration to address all possible scenarios. A Dornier aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill mapping technology is carrying out an aerial assessment of the affected area. Meanwhile, an emergency meeting of the state Disaster M a n a g e m e n t Au t h o r i t y, chaired by chief secretary A Jayathilak, issued an alert for June 19 Nilambur bypoll to be test of Anvar’s public influence S a n o o p S asidhara n @Malappuram By-election to the Nilambur assembly constituency would be held on June 19, the Election Commission announced on Sunday. Nominations can be filed till June 2. Counting of votes will be on June 23. While the bypoll is important for the LDF and UDF, it is especially crucial for P V Anvar, whose resignation necessitated the exercise. For it will not only be a test of the ex-MLA’s influence over people, but also decide his political existence. Anvar, who won in 2021 with the LDF’s backing, resigned from the seat after his relationship with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan soured following his tirade against the home department, the CM’s political secretary P Sasi, ADGP Ajith Kumar and SP Sujith Das. He later joined the Trinamool Congress. Historically, Nilambur has not favoured the CPM. After K Kunjali, who won in 1965 and 1967, the CPM has not secured Nilambur on its own. Even T K Hamsa won in 1982 as an independent. Later, after the dominance of Aryadan Muhammad, the Left won in 2016 and in 2021 through Anvar, another independent. While Anvar played down his role in the bypoll by describing it as people’s fight against Pinarayi, it is being seen as his struggle for survival. Anvar, who had initially set conditions for cooperating with the UDF, later surrendered unconditionally saying his only goal was to defeat Pinarayi. The UDF, however, has not taken a call on taking Anvar into its fold as there are reservations within the front over the matter. On his part, Anvar has tried to pose as the champion of the ‘victims of the RSS-minded police’s highhandedness against the Muslims’, and also participated in protests against human-animal conflicts in Malappuram – a definite campaign ● More on P4 point.  2021 election result P V Anvar (LDF-Ind) 81,227 (47.3%) Won by 2,700 votes V V Prakash (UDF) 78,527 (46.6%) T K Asok Kumar (NDA) 8,595 (4.1%) Babu Manu (SDPI) 3,281 (1.9%) 2025 Total voters: 2,32,384 Male 1,13,486 Female 1,18,889 Transgender: 9 O pera t i o n S i n door Not a one-off military action, says PM Modi R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ 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 emphasised that the operation was not a one-off military action, but a reflection of a changing and resolute India. Crediting India’s home-grown 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 ruling 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. the coastline. Fishermen have been told not to conduct fishing operations in a 20-nauticalmile radius around the spot where the ship sank. Coastal residents have been instructed not to approach or touch containers or unknown floating bodies. The factories and boilers department will form two teams to safely recover the containers while the state Pollution Control Board has set up two rapid response teams to contain the oil spill before its reaches coastal areas. According to authorities, around 100 containers that fell off the vessel while it was listing are floating and moving at a speed of 3 km per hour. These containers may reach the state’s coast carried by winds and monsoon currents. The remaining containers have sunk in the sea at a depth of 53m along with the ship. The Coast Guard received an alert from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai at 1.25 pm on Saturday regarding distress conditions on board the Liberia-flagged container vessel, owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Co, approximately 38 nautical miles off ● More on P2 Kochi. 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. 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.