madurai l Monday l may 26, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l 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” ■ ■ 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. e x p r e ss r e a d HC slams IAS officer for favouring illegal mining Chennai: The Madras High Court has reprimanded J Jayakanthan IAS, WRD secretary, for collecting just `10.40 crore as fine for illegal mining during his stint as Geology and Mining Commissioner in 2022. The court said the officer allowed the miner to resume operation by paying `30L as part fine without following legal procedures | P4 Action on corrupt govt officials: HC seeks report Madurai: Ruling in a case regarding a TN government official convicted in a corruption case being allowed to continue in service without proper action, the Madras HC has directed the chief secretary to submit a report with the list of all convicted public servants in TN’s employment and the action taken against them within a month | P4 O p e r a t i o n S i n d oo r 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 RE S S NE W S S ER 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 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 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. Fire and rescue services personnel clearing the trees uprooted by heavy rain and gale on the Avalanche Road in Nilgiris district on Sunday | Express 21cm rain in Avalanche; red alert continues for Nilgiris, ghat areas S S e n t h i l K u m a r @ Nilgiris Due to the early onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala, several parts of Tamil Nadu recorded significant rainfall on Sunday with Avalanche in the Nilgiris recording the highest of 21 cm rainfall in 24 hours ending at 7 am on Sunday, with at least one death being reported. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall across multiple districts of TN till May 28. The red alert for Nilgiris and ghat areas of Coimbatore will continue on Monday said the RMC in Chen, nai. The risk of landslides, flash floods, and waterlogging is particularly high in vulnerable districts, especially in Western Ghats.Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds uprooted trees and damaged crops and houses in several areas of Nilgiris district on Sunday . A 15-year-old boy from Kerala died on the spot after a tree fell on him on Sunday afternoon. The deceased has been identified as P Adhi Dev, a native of Kozhikode. The incident occurred when the boy and 15 members of his family were on a vacation to Eighth Mile, a tourist spot in Nilgiris.  P5 Intense rain for 3 days Several regions across Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Theni, Tenkasi, Kanniyakumari, and Tiruppur may witness intense rain and winds between May 26 and May 28. The red alert for Nilgiris and ghat areas of Coimbatore will continue on Monday, the RMC said Dip in SS fund earmarked for TN in 2025-26 @ Chennai The fresh allocation of funds approved for Tamil Nadu under the Samagra Shiksha Scheme by the Ministry of Education’s Project Approval Board (PAB) has dropped by `1,416 crore (34%) from `4,150 crore in 2024-25 to `2,734 crore in 2025-26. Though the approved alloc at i o n l a s t year was `4,150 crore, it was reduced by the PAB to `3,586 crore. The `2,734 crore allocated for 202526 is nearly `850 crore lower than that. It is, however, noteworthy that the budget proposed to the PAB by the Tamil Nadu government was also lower at `3,104 crore for 202526 compared to `4,579 crore proposed in 2024-25, although the state claimed that this was due to “upper limits” imposed by the express illustration S u b a s h i n i V i j aya k u m a r GoI. This allocation of `2,734 crore is the lowest for Tamil Nadu in the last five years under the centrally-sponsored scheme in which the centre shares 60% of the annual expenditure while the state bears 40%. According to the data furnished by the Union Ministry of Education, while states such as Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, and Punjab saw an increase in allocation for 2025-26, states like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Haryana, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh saw a decline. This year, the GoI introduced upper limits for each component, which restricted what we could ask for. The centre has set maximum limit for each component of the Samagra Shiksha Scheme Official, School Edu Department RAJE S H K UMAR THA K UR @ 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. 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.