Cyclone montha to hit Andhra coast tomorrow: met office The deep depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal is very likely to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast near Kakinada on Tuesday evening, it said 110 km/hr KANNUR l monday l October 27, 2025 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION 21st century belongs to India and ASEAN, says PM Modi Reaffirms the 10-member bloc as a central pillar of India’s Act East Policy Rubio: US ties with Pak not at India’s expense J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually addresses the ‘India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Annual Summit’ via video conferencing, in New Delhi | pti J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the 21st century “belongs to India and ASEAN”, asserting that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains a central pillar of India’s Act East Policy and a vital partner in shaping an inclusive and sustainable Indo-Pacific. Delivering his opening remarks at the India-ASEAN summit in Malaysia virtually, Modi said India and ASEAN together represent nearly one-fourth of the world’s population, bound not just by geography but also by “deep historical ties, shared values, and a common vision for the Global South”. “We are not only commercial partners but also cultural companions,” Modi said, reaffirming India’s support for ASEAN centrality and its Indo-Pacific outlook. “Even amid global uncertainties, our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has made steady progress and is emerging as a strong foundation for global stability and development... The 21st century is our century — the century of India and ASEAN,” he said. “The ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and India’s goal of Viksit Bharat 2047 will together shape a bright future for humanity.” The PM high- East Timor new member The Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Sunday welcomed East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, as its newest member. It was ASEAN’s first expansion since the 1990s. Meanwhile, Cambodia and Thailand signed an agreement expanding a ceasefire on their borders lighted that the summit’s theme, Inclusivity and Sustainability mirrors , India-ASEAN priorities, from digital inclusion and resilient supply chains to food security and green energy . “India fully supports these priorities and is committed to advancing them together,” Modi added. Talking about the growing collaboration in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and maritime security Modi announced that 2026 will be , celebrated as the ‘ SEAN–India Year A of Maritime Cooperation’, marking an intensified push for joint work in the blue economy and ocean governance. The 10-member ASEAN bloc, with a population of about 680 million and a combined GDP of over $3.9 trillion, is the world’s fifth-largest economy if treated as a single entity . THE US is looking to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan but not at the cost of its ‘deep’ relationship with India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, in an apparent bid to calm concerns in New Delhi over Washington’s renewed outreach to Islamabad. Speaking to reporters, Rubio stressed that both India and the US maintain independent relationships with different nations, terming it “part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy “Just like India has ties .” with countries that the US doesn’t, the vice-versa applies,” Rubio said, adding: “I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is dee p, historic, and important.” Rubio is expected to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. It will be the fourth in-person meeting between the two leaders this year, a sign of high-level engagement continuing despite friction over trade and energy issues. The Jaishankar–Rubio meeting is expected to cover trade negotiations and India’s continued imports of Russian oil, a major friction point for the Trump administration. Rubio’s comments come amid Washington’s efforts to recalibrate ties with Pakistan including deals on critical mineral mining and energy . Tribal groups rubbish govt’s ‘extreme poverty-free’ claim L a k s h m i Ath i r a @Kalpetta EXPRESS READ Uttarakhand to levy green tax on vehicles Dehradun: Green tax will be collected from vehicles coming to Uttarakhand from other states from December, officials said. The decision has been take with a view to controlling pollution, protecting the environment and promoting cleanliness in the state. Man killed, wife hurt in Adimali landslide Idukki: A 50-year-old man was killed and his wife critically injured after a landslide triggered by the NH construction buried their house in Koombanpara near Adimali late on Saturday night. P5 Even as the state government is gearing up to declare Kerala ‘extreme poverty-free’, majority of tribals are “continuing their struggles against hunger, unemployment and landlessness”. The state government is set to make the declaration — hailed as a historic milestone — on November 1 with a starstudded event to be attended by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and film icons Mohanlal, Mammootty and Kamal Haasan. But tribal communities say the celebration mocks their continued struggle for survival. They allege that the campaign has failed to touch the poorest and most marginalised. Wayanad, home to one of Kerala’s largest tribal populations, was declared ‘extreme poverty-free’ on October 25 by Minister for Welfare of SC-ST O R Kelu. But, according to tribal activists, the official narrative hides harsh realities of hunger and homelessness. “Isn’t Keluvettan from a tribal community in Wayanad? Anyone living here knows our villages are still trapped in hunger and deprivation,” said tribal activist Manikkuttan Paniyan, referring to the minister. “How can the government claim to have eradicated extreme poverty when the people here can’t even afford one proper meal a day asked Manikkuttan. ,” Activists estimate that 90% of tribal families in Kerala still have no land, with many living in plasticcovered huts without electricity, toilets, or drinking water. They point out that despite crores being spent under the government’s extreme pover ty eradication programme, thousands of tribal children have dropped out of school and many families continue to survive on one meal a day . “At the Manikkuni tribal settlement near Sultan Bathery, around 60 families live in miserable conditions,” K Ammini, leader of the Adivasi Vanitha ● More on P4 Prasthanam.  Tribal population As per govt data, Kerala has 4,26,208 tribal people, of which Wayanad alone accounts for 1,52,808 (35.85%). Idukki comes second with 52,565 people (12.33%), followed by Kasaragod 47,603 (11.17%) How can the govt claim to have eradicated extreme poverty when the people here can’t even afford one proper meal a day — Manikkuttan Paniyan, tribal activist EC to release schedule of pan-India SIR today M u k e s h r anjan @ New Delhi The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on Monday sourc, es said. The ECI is holding a media briefing on Monday afternoon, which will be attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. According to ECI sources, the poll panel will announce the schedule during the briefing. The exercise will be conducted in two phases, sources said. The first phase will cover more than 10 states and one Union Territory, including the election-bound states of Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry, they said. “The SIR is likely to be rolled out in two phases. The first phase will include Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puduch- erry Kerala and West Bengal, where , Assembly elections are due in 2026,” a source said, adding: “The second phase will cover states that are holding local body elections and where severe winter weather may create challenges for the electoral revision process.” The sources said the first phase will begin on 1 November, and all the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of the states and the Union Territory covered in this phase have been told to remain alert, as work may start at any moment. The IMD warned of ‘extremely heavy rainfal’ in south Odisha is the maximum windspeed on 28th and 29th. The Odisha expected when storm hits government has put all 30 the coast districts on alert “Yesterday’s depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal intensified into a deep depression at 0530 hrs IST today, Oct 26, over the same region,” the meteorological department said on Sunday. The system is expected to further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by the morning of Oct 28 and cross the AP coast by evening, it said | P5 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 ■ ■