China-Pak axis deepens, Pak navy gets new sub The Pakistan Navy on Thursday commissioned its first Chinesebuilt submarine with advanced weapons and sensors, in Sanya, China. The vessel equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP), which heps remain underwater for extended periods, enhancing the stealth feature. India doesn’ have AIP but an indigenous system will by ready by year-end | P9 chennai l friday l may 01, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 38 l late city EDITION 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 Fast track nod Amend abortion law on rape, says SC for China FDI in seven sectors S U C H I TR A K A LYA N M O H A N T Y @ New Delhi express read Exit polls put parties in TN in a state of flux Chennai: Amid rising political tension in Tamil Nadu following wide variation in the exit poll results for DMK, TVK and AIADMK, CM MK Stalin on Thursday urged DMK functionaries to remain vigilant on counting day. While AIADMK chief EPS rejected the exit poll predictions, TVK chief Vijay has urged all winning candidates of his party to rush to Panaiyur immediately on result day | P4 Man convicted for rape, murder of Pondy girl Puducherry: A Pocso Fast Track Court in Puducherry on Thursday convicted Karunas (20), the lone surviving accused, for the 2024 sexual assault and murder of a nineyear-old girl in Muthialpet. The second accused, Vivekanandan (56), had ended his life in jail. Special Judge MD Sumathi will prononunce the sentence in case that triggered nationwide outrage on May 5 | P5 WITH THIS ISSUE CHENNAI’S BEST WEEKEND GUIDE 38 PAGES, INCLUDING 24 OF INDULGE (TABLOID) Priority to manufacturing in critical sectors like rare earths, polysilicon and ingot wafer D I PA K M O N D A L @ New Delhi THE government has identified seven critical sectors/manufacturing activities for faster approval of investments from China, a senior official told this newspaper. These are capital goods, electronic capital goods, electronic components, polysilicon and ingot wafer, advanced battery components, rare earth permanent magnets, and rare earth processing. Capital goods include plant machinery, heavy equipment or accessories required for manufacturing. Electronic capital goods mean equipment and machinery used for manufacturing lithium-ion battery, mobile phones etc. Electronic components include display module, camera module, printed circuit board, enclosures for mobile phones, etc. Polysilicon is the primary raw material used to produce silicon wafers. This is melted in a crucible to produce an ingot, which is a solid cylindrical or block-shaped mass of crystalline silicon. More sectors could be added to this list, a document reviewed by this daily showed. Under the amended Press Note 3 (PN3) framework, the Cabinet has introduced an expedited approval mechanism to clear investment proposals from countries sharing a land border with India in specific sectors within 60 days. In March this year, the government eased curbs on investments from neighbouring countries, including China, to encourage inflows into critical sectors. 600 proposals await govt approval After India put FDI curbs through Press Note 3 in April 2020, investments from China dropped. According to DPIIT, nearly 600 investment proposals from China are awaiting approval. The amended PN3 is expected to clear the backlog and open up the investment flow into India Investments to be cleared with caution Officials said while India is open to investments from all countries, including China, it will proceed with caution. “We are keeping our eyes wide open. Safety and security are paramount. The government is willing to facilitate investments, but only with due diligence,” said an official The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to hear a curative plea by AIIMS, Delhi regarding the medical termination of a 15-year-old rape survivor, as it asked the government to consider amending the law to permit rape survivors to terminate unwanted pregnancies even beyond 20 weeks. “Unwanted pregnancy cannot be thrust on a person. Imagine, she is a child. She should be studying now. But we want to make her a mother. This is a case of child rape. Victim will have lifelong scar and trauma. It is now a fight between foetus vs child. Minor child cannot be forced to bear a pregnancy,.. Law needs to be organic and in sync with evolving times,” said a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The court asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for AIIMS, to speak to the parents of the victim and left it for them to decide whether or not to end the pregnancy . The AIIMS had argued that since it’s been 30-weeks of pregnancy the foetus is now a viable , Contempt notice The SC issued notice on a contempt petition alleging non-compliance by AIIMS of its order permitting medical termination of the minor’s pregnancy. It directed health ministry principal secy, health dept secy and AIIMS director to appear via video conference on May 4 life and termination would not be successful. “The child would be born with serious deformities, organ failures and even the minor victim would face lifelong issues, such as not even be- It’s 998:2 as just 0.2% men compared to women undergo sterilisation in TN S I N D U J A J A N E @ Chennai Sterilisation in Tamil Nadu remains an overwhelmingly female burden, with men accounting for just two out of every 1,000 procedures performed across the state. As per official data, in 2025-26 financial year, Tamil Nadu recorded 2.15 lakh tubectomies compared to just 426 No-Scalpel Vasectomies (NSV) performed on men — a participation rate of just 0.2%. While NSV numbers had shown a gradual rise from 863 in 2021-22 to 1,304 in 2022-23, peaking at 1,357 in 2023-24, they have since declined sharply to 659 in 2024-25 and further NSV safer, done with local anaesthesia Health experts point out that No-Scalpel Vasectomies (NSV) is a simpler, safer and quicker procedure compared to tubectomy. It is performed under local anaesthesia, and involves minimal recovery time after the procedure to 426 this year, a drop of 35% within a year. Female sterilisation figures, too, have been on the decline, from 2,54,702 in 2023-24 to 2,27,438 in 2024-25 and 2,15,825 this year. Health experts point out that NSV is a simpler, safer and quicker procedure compared to tubectomy. It is typically performed under local anaesthesia, takes less than 30 minutes, and involves minimal recovery time after the procedure. A senior health department official told TNIE that acceptance of male sterilisation has historically been low and has declined further over the past two years, in line with falling female sterilisation rates. Health department officials attribute this broader trend to Ta m i l N a d u ’s d e c l i n i n g fertility rate.  P7 ing able to go through another pregnancy Bhati said. ,” But the CJI contended that “In cases of child rape, the choice to bear or terminate pregnancy should always be with the victim.” He also urged the media to be extra sensitive while reporting this case. The court exercised its extraordinary powers under Article 142 to override statutory time limits, and directed that the minor and her parents be provided comprehensive psychiatric and medical counselling to take the final call. Another bench had on April 24 allowed the minor to terminate her pregnancy . Haj fare up due to ATF hike Pa r v e z S u ltan @ New Delhi Amid strong opposition to a hefty airfare hike for Haj pilgrims following the spike in aviation turbine fuel prices, the Centre on Thursday said it had scaled the fare down to an additional `10,000 per individual. Union minister of minority affairs Kiren Rijiju said though airlines had sought $300-400 more per pilgrim, the government settled it at $100. The proposed hike had drawn criticism from various quarters, including opposition leaders, who termed the increase as injustice to the community . But the ministry said it remains committed to making Haj affordable. “This is not exploitation. This is the government absorbing pressure.”