Chennai l tuesday l august 19, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 18 l late city EDITION India’s job market shows relief as unemployment rate falls A government survey on Monday said the unemployment rate dipped to 5.2 per cent in July, down from 5.6 per cent in June marginal rise in urban youth joblessness labour participation rate sees a spike The Periodic Labour Force Survey released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said the pace of joblessness among men stayed slightly higher at 5.3 per cent compared to that of women at 5.1 per cent. The rate of unemployment in urban areas for 15-29 age group saw a marginal increase to 19 per cent in July from 18.8 per cent June | P12 ■ ■ The Labour Force Participation Rate among persons of all age groups rose to 41.4 per cent in July 2025 as compared to 41 per cent in June In rural areas, the Labour Force Participation Rate of all age groups was 42 per cent, as against 41.5 per cent in the preceding month. In urban areas, it was 40.1 per cent in July, up from 39.8 per cent in June 89,505 Households were covered by The periodic labour force survey 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 INDIA parties mull impeaching CEC p r e e t h a n a i r @ New Delhi AS the face–off between the Election Commission Of India (ECI) and the Opposition intensifies over allegations of ‘vote theft’ and poll rigging, the INDIA bloc on Monday said it is mulling an impeachment motion against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. The move comes a day after the CEC asked Rahul Gandhi, leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, to either file an affidavit substantiating his vote theft allegations or apologise. The pro- posal for an impeachment motion was discussed at the INDIA bloc meeting on Monday morning. Several Opposition leaders met in the chamber of Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, and held discussions on how the CEC on Sunday addressed a press conference without answering any of the questions raised by them, according to a leader who attended the meeting. The Opposition also decided not to cooperate with the gov- ernment on the special discussion on the impact of astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s space mission. The Lok Sabha is having a two-day special discussion on the issues. Some opposition MPs said they feel this fight has to be taken forward and suggested an impeachment motion against the CEC, sources said. Addressing a joint press conference on Monday representa, tives of eight opposition parties including Congress, TMC, SP DMK and RJD hit out at the , Trump floats security guarantee for Ukraine Signals flexibility on NATO role; Putin briefs Modi on Alaska summit CEC, alleging that instead of responding to questions raised by them, he chose to attack them at his presser on Sunday . TMC’s Mahua Moitra said the Lok Sabha should be dissolved as the last elections were held on “faulty” voter list. When the Lok Sabha met at 11 am on Monday, opposition MPs, including those from the Congress, were on their feet, raising slogans and showing placards with demand for discussion on the Special Intensive Revision in Bihar. Speaker Om Birla adjourned the House following the bedlam. We’re not afraid of poll panel’s threat: Rahul Patna: A day after chief election commissioner asked Rahul Gandhi to submit an affidavit on his vote theft slur or apologise in a week, the Congress leader on Monday said he was not afraid of such threats | P9 BJP throws a dare at opposition parties New Delhi: BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Monday dared INDIA bloc parties to dissolve state assemblies where they are in power if they doubt the Election Commission’s fairness. SC stays HC order, frees TN minister from facing trial in 2012 DA case SUCH I TRA KALYAN MOHANTY @ New Delhi JAYANTH JACOB @ New Delhi Minimum city Commuters wade through a waterlogged road following heavy rain in Mumbai on Monday. The civic body was forced to order closure of all schools and colleges. Across Maharashtra, seven people were killed and more than 200 stranded | PTI IMD issues red alert for rain in Konkan, South Ji t e n d r a C h o u b e y @ New Delhi THE India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a ‘red alert’ for extremely heavy rains in the next 24 hours in Central and Southern India along with the Western Ghats. The alert said there was a risk of flash floods in Maharashtra, South Interior Karnataka, and isolated areas of Chhattisgarh. The IMD forecast indicates a higher possibility of extremely heavy rainfall over coastal Andhra Pradesh, southern Chhattisgarh, southern Odis- ha, Telangana, South Interior Karnataka, the Konkan region (including Mumbai), Goa, the Western Ghats area of Madhya Maharashtra, and coastal Karnataka and Gujarat in the next two days. IMD’s bulletin predicted flash floods over several watersheds in north Interior Karnataka, Telangana, Konkan-Goa, and Maharashtra in the next 24 hours. Besides, there is a low to moderate risk of flash floods in some watersheds in south Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, and Marathwada during the same period. US President Donald Trump on Monday said Washington would ensure any future peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia “works”, offering what he described as “very good protection” for Ukraine but left open the question of whether NATO would play a central role. In a high-stakes Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump signalled his willingness to support long-term security guarantees. “We’ll give them good protection,” he said, though when pressed on whether that would resemble NATO’s Article 5 collective defence commitment, he replied: “It hasn’t been discussed yet.” Zelenskyy, asked what guarantees he needed, replied: “Everything” from equipment to intelligence. But the most striking development came near the end of the meeting, when Trump announced he would be speaking to Vladimir Putin again soon, following discussions with European leaders also gathered at Zelenskyy’s wife writes to Melania In a curious development, Zelenskyy delivered a personal letter from his wife Olena to First Lady Melania Trump, thanking her for all the good efforts to help return Ukrainian children taken to Russia the White House. The call would mark his second direct engagement with the Russian leader in four days, an indication that Trump is attempting to personally steer negotiations toward a resolution. “I just met with Zelenskyy, and we covered a lot of territory,” Trump said. “I plan to speak with President Putin again later today .” That statement reframed the day’s diplomacy Trump’s move . to keep direct lines open with Moscow even as European leaders, including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Star mer and French President Emmanuel Macron, advocate a tougher approach underscores his central role in shaping the next phase of the conflict. “I don’t think you need a ceasefire to end the war,” Trump said—a position more closely aligned with Moscow’s narrative than Kyiv’s. Earlier in the day, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to brief him on his recent meeting with US President Donald Trump in Alaska. Putin’s telephone call to Modi—their second call in the past 10 days—came amid mounting pressure from the US over India’s continued purchase of Russian oil. During the call with Modi, Putin shared his take on his meeting with Trump and Modi responded by reaffirming India’s position: support for a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy  . P11 The Supreme Court on Monday stayed an April 28 Madras High Court order that had reversed the discharge of Rural Development Minister I Periyasamy and his family members in a 2012 disproportionate assets (DA) case, and directed them to face trial. Periyasamy, his wife P Suseela, and sons P Prabhu and P Senthilkumar, the Palani MLA, were among the accused in the case. A bench of the top court, headed by Justice Dipankar Datta, which was hearing the appeal filed by the minister and his family members against the HC order setting aside the trial court’s verdict, issued notice to Tamil Nadu and sought its reply . Five hours after the SC order, the Enforcement Directorate, in a statement, said its searches on Saturday on the premises of Periyasamy and his family members had led to the seizure of documents related to properties and investments. The ED’s money laund e r i n g p ro b e, o f wh i ch Saturday’s searches were a DMK’s Tiruchi Siva, ex-isro scientist Mylswamy among names discussed as oppn’s pick Ideology above all else, DMK refuses to support NDA’s ‘Tamil’ nominee wangON yi In India TWO-DAY VISIT The Chinese foreign minister on Monday held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who called for “a candid and constructive approach” to reset ties. Wang will meet National Security Adviser Ajit Doval on Tuesday K Ezhilarasan & K u m a r e s a n S @ Chennai Even as the BJP’s state unit and AIADMK play the ‘Tamil’ card in a bid to pressure the DMK into extending its support for the NDA’s vice-presidential candidate C P Radhakrishnan, DMK leaders said the party has no intention of backing him since ideology is “above all else”. “We will give preference only to ideology. We cannot suppor t Radhakrishnan merely on the grounds that he is Tamil. We have to look at what his ideologies are,” DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan told TNIE. “BJP has not done anything for Tamil or Tamil Nadu. The BJP-led union government has not approved Keezhadi excavation reports, has not released funds due to the state, and also is averse to the development of TN,” he added. Elangovan also recalled DMK’s campaigns against Radhakrishnan during the Lok Sabha elections. “Moreover, we all know how the BJP government treated the former vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar. We do not even know his whereabouts now,” he said. Meanwhile, names of DMK’s five-term Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva and f o r m e r I S RO s c i e n t i s t Mylswamy Annadurai have been doing the rounds as the INDIA bloc’s choice for V-P candidate.  P7 EPS urges parties to back Radhakrishnan Chennai: AIADMK general secretary EPS and state BJP president Nainar Nagenthran urged all parties to extend support to CP Radhakrishnan, stating his candidature is a matter of pride for TN | P4 Bike taxi rider, man die after car rams two-wheeler E x p r e s s N e w s S e r v i c e @ Chennai Two men died after a car rammed the bike taxi they were riding and sped away without stopping early Monday morning near Chromepet. The deceased have been identified as Balraj (48) from Athipattu in Tiruvallur, the bike taxi rider, and Balamurugan (22) from Tiruppur. While Balamurugan died on the spot, Balraj succumbed to his injuries at a hospital a few h o u r s l a t e r. S o u r c e s a t Chromepet Traffic Investigation Wing said the accident oc- curred around 2.40 am near a t e m p l e n e a r Ta m b a r a m Sanatorium. Police said after picking up Balamurugan, Balraj was riding towards Chrompet to drop him off when the speeding car mowed them down. Passersby immediately alerted emergen- cy services, police added. Balraj was rushed to the district hospital, and later referred to Rajiv Gandhi General Hospital. Balamurugan had enrolled at a private coaching centre to prepare for competitive exams and was staying with his friends at Chromepet. P7 INDIA bloc Vice-Prez pick to be decided today P r e e t h a N a i r @ New Delhi THE Opposition INDIA bloc is likely to announce its candidate for the Vice Presidential election on Tuesday afternoon. According to sources, though top leaders of the bloc discussed a few names at a Zoom meeting on Monday the final call will be , taken on Tuesday . “A meeting of leaders of all Opposition parties in Parliament will be held at 12.30 PM Tuesday Aug 19 at 10, Rajaji Marg,” wrote Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on X. Sources said names that came up in the meeting include former ISRO scientist and Padma Shri awardee M Annadurai and Tushar Gandhi, great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi; and DMK leader M Annadurai. The Opposition’s candidate will be vying with NDA pick Maharashtra Governor C P Radhakrishnan. Sources said the Opposition wants to field a non-political face who has national standing and stature senior DMK leaders have proposed the name of M Annadurai, who hails from Tamil Nadu and is well respected, for the vice-president’s post. Cops review CCTV footage Police are reviewing CCTV footage to identify the vehicle that mowed down the two men in Chromepet Minister I Periyasamy part, had used as predicate offence the same Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption case which the HC had revived and the SC had stayed on Monday . The agency said it found certain paper companies being operated from the premises of Irulappa Mills India Private Limited, a firm in which the minister and his younger son P Prabhu are directors. In a statement, ED said it is analysing the seized digital devices and accounts of the companies linked to Periyasamy. Further probe is under progress, the agency said. Earlier, senior advocate V Giri and advocate Ram Sankar, challenging the HC’s decision, argued that these cases were the fallout of political rivalry . P7 express read mettur dam near full Flood alert sounded for 11 TN districts Salem: With the heavy water discharge from Karnataka reservoirs resulting in increased outflow from Mettur Dam, the Water Resources Department issued flood alerts for 11 downstream districts of Tamil Nadu on Monday. The outflow from Mettur Dam in Salem was sharply increased on Monday due to heavy discharge from Kabini and Krishna Raja Sagar dams. Flood alerts have been sounded for Salem, Erode, Namakkal, Karur, Ariyalur, Tiruchy, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam and Cuddalore | P5 namakkal liver racket Health dept to look into organ trade Chennai: The Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services has instructed health officials to look into an alleged case of organ trade, following reports of a woman from Pallipalayam in Namakkal selling her liver at a private hospital in Chennai to repay debts. Officials said they learned about the issue from media, but added that they have not yet received any complaint. Probe is on into the operation of the organ racket in Namakkal | P2