TIRUNELVELI l wednesday l june 17, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 12 l CITY EDITION El Nino to hit 12 states severely, govt calls for contingency plan The impact of El Nino weather phenomenon, linked with a weaker monsoon in India, is likely to be “severe” in 12 states, including UP and TN weak monsoon across majority of states El Nino is a climate phenomenon linked to weaker monsoons. As per IMD, El Nino conditions are present over the equatorial Pacific Ocean and expected to strengthen during the southwest monsoon season. Other states likely to be impacted are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Bihar, MP, Jharkhand and Maharashtra ■ 20% reliable inputs critical for farmers ■ Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan directed states to identify vulnerable districts and prepare crop-wise contingency plans so that farmers can be provided with options, advice and assistance Chouhan said the government’s priority is to ensure farmers receive “reliable, and solution-oriented messages based on scientific inputs” cut in Mumbai water supply for commercial usage due to low storage 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 G7 Summit Israel’s war on Lebanon has gone too far, says Trump A g en c ie s @ Evian-les-Bains (France) A day after the US and Iran announced an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday panned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his aggressive military campaign in Lebanon causing civilian casualties, urging him to be “more responsible” in the way he fights Hezbollah. “You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody There are lots of . people in those apartments… and they’re not all Hezbollah,” he said. Speaking to reporters in France at the G7 Summit, Trump said Israel’s war with Hezbollah has gone too far and “too many people are being killed.” Without the According to United Iran, the peace States, there deal includes would be no Israel. Israel’s exit from Lebanon. Without me, Israel’s contin- there would be no Israel, ued attacks on because no Lebanon could other jeopardise the president pact, which is was willing scheduled to be to do what I did signed in Switz e r l a n d o n Donald Trump Friday . Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday said Israel’s continued occupation of southern Lebanon would violate the deal. Netanyahu, who is under tremendous pressure ahead of elections in October, has rejected the peace deal saying Israel is not part of it. Cautioning Netanyahu against defying his directions, Trump said: “Without me, there would be no Israel… no other president was willing to do what I did. Israel would have been blown up a long time ago, had I not gotten involved.” Terming Hezbollah threat ‘minor’, Trump described the Iran-backed militant outfit in Lebanon as “the little pinprick out there that constantly rears its head”. Israel invaded southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles during the first week of the war. Since then, it has been striking targets deep inside Beirut.  P9 PM plain speak TN’s ‘true’ debt `13.18L cr: White Paper Grim figures on trust deficit, lack of respect for global law T M u r u g anand h am @ Chennai J ayant h J a c o b @ New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday told G7 leaders that global partnerships can succeed only when they are founded on trust, stressing that the world today suffers not from a shortage of resources but from a shortage of trust. Calling for renewed international solidarity in an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world, Modi said mutual trust is the most important strategic asset and warned that disregard for international law remains the biggest obstacle to building global cooperation. He highlighted that dialogue and diplomacy must be prioritised to ensure peace, stability and stronger international partnerships. The remarks came shortly after Modi was seen exchanging a handshake and a brief conversation with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the summit. The interaction, ahead of a scheduled bilateral meeting between the two leaders on Wednesday, drew attention amid ongoing discussions on trade, technology , security and geopolitical challenges. Addressing the Outreach Session on “Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity ,” Modi, seated next to Trump, said that while global interdependence has increased, confidence among nations has eroded. “In a world that is getting more interconnected and interdependent than ever before, this subject becomes all the more vital. But partnerships can succeed only when they are founded on trust,” Modi said. A major focus of Modi’s address was the need to redefine engagement with developing countries and the Global South. He said nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America were looking for equal partnerships rather than traditional aid arrangements. “The Global South has immense expectations from the world. More than support, it seeks partnership. We must move beyond the donor-recipient mindset and work as equal partners. We must walk together and not merely alongside one another. Partnerships must be linked to dignity not dependency he said. , ,” Former minister C Vijayabaskar, who was elected as MLA from Viralimalai constituency on an AIADMK ticket in the last election, resigned his post on Tuesday. With his resignation, the number of vacant seats in the 234-member House has increased to six, and AIADMK’s strength has come down from 47 legislators to 42. Vijayabaskar met Speaker JCD Prabhakar at the secretariat and submitted his resignation, which was formally accepted. The five-time MLA is the fifth AIADMK lawmaker to resign his seat after the Assembly polls. Earlier, Maragatha m Ku m a r ave l (Madurantakam), S Jaya- Modi identified the “lack of respect for international law” as the biggest hurdle to building international solidarity. “We, in India, view the world as one family. Our experience shows that development is most effective when it is connected to the aspirations of people.” Strategic asset “Mutual trust is the most important strategic asset today. But, sadly, today, the world does not suffer from a shortage of resources — it suffers from a shortage of trust. And the future of our partnerships depends on rebuilding this trust,” PM Modi said 60.4% This graphic summarises the state’s fiscal trajectory via 6 key indicators, comparing 2021-22 with 2025-26 (Pre-AC) 2.25% 2.22% 28.7% 28.3% 5.93% 5.45% Revenue Deficit SOTR / GSDP as % of GSDP (own-tax effort) Revenue Deficit (` in crore) THE government on Tuesday temporarily restricted access to the Telegram messaging app ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-examination on June 21, with the National Testing Agency (NTA) saying the measure was aimed at tackling cheating rackets and misinformation. Interestingly, the government has directed Apple and Google to remove the messaging app from their app stores rather than merely disable it. This means users will not be able to download Telegram from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store until further orders. Indians top users of app Founded by Pavel and Nikolai Durov in 2013 and headquartered in Dubai, Telegram is used by roughly 40 million Indians, accounting for about 10.4% of the platform’s global user base NTA Director General Abhishek Singh said the restriction on Telegram till June 22 was part of efforts to ensure Window Start (2021-22) Closing (2025-26 Pre-AC) 1.79% 1.44% Outstanding Liabilities /GSDP 46,538 GSDP/Capital Expenditure TRR/ Committed Expenditure 78,324 Total debt of state PSUs pegged at `3.18 lakh crore The white paper has pegged the debt of state PSUs — power, transport and civil supplies - at `3.18 lakh crore as of March 31, 2026. While the debt of TNEB group rose from `1.67 lakh crore in March 2021 to `2.47 lakh crore in March 2026, losses of state transport firms rose from `41,826 crore to `72,667 crore | P4 18.2% of TN’s population may be seniors by 2031 Tamil Nadu is ageing faster than any other large state and its share of elderly population is projected to rise from 10.6% in 2011 to 18.2% by 2031, and the old-age dependency ratio from 20.6 in 2021 to 32.7 by 2036, the state government’s white paper said on Tuesday. ENS Telegram app banned till NEET-UG re-exam to curb cheating, rumours Rake s h K u ma r @ New Delhi 64.4% that the June 21 re-test is conducted without malpractice. “We will not let anything go wrong,” Singh told PTI. According to NTA, some channel administrators allegedly misused the message-editing feature and inserted actual question papers while retaining the original timestamp, thereby creating misleading “evidence” of pre-exam paper leaks. Industry experts see the move as an attempt to shut down Telegram. According to the Internet Freedom Foundation, “switching off Telegram is a deflection from repeated failures, which will continue while media attention is directed towards the ban.” E x p re s s R ea d Vijay unveils plan to strengthen power infra Chennai: CM Vijay on Tuesday directed officials to strengthen TN’s power sector by establishing 231 new substations at a cost of `15,032 crore and recruiting 15,058 workers. The new substations will be in addition to the 121 new and upgraded ones currently being established at a cost of `10,109 crore | P2 TN receives 60% less Cauvery water in June Chennai: TN received nearly 60% less Cauvery water at the interstate point of Biligundlu during the first fortnight of the 2026–27 water year, underscoring a worsening water crisis in the basin due to less rainfall. Between June 1 & 15, only 1.75 TMC of water reached Biligundlu. It was 4.29 TMC for same period last year | P5 Govt bans sale of cough syrups without prescription K A V I TA B A J E L I - D AT T @ New Delhi Howdy trump Prime Minister Narenda Modi shakes hands with US President Donald Trump before the plenary session at the G7 summit in France on Tuesday | AP AIADMK crisis deepens as ex-min quits MLA seat e x p r e s s ne w s s e r vi c e @ Chennai Hurdle to solidarity The White Paper on Tamil Nadu’s finances for the fiveyear period between 2021-22 and 2025-26 released by Finance Minister N Marie Wilson on Tuesday painted a grim picture. By factoring in contingent liabilities, guarantees, and liabilities of public sector undertakings, the report pegged Tamil Nadu’s “true debt burden” at `13.18 lakh crore. The report, which described the financial deterioration as “structural rather than cyclical”, said the state has witnessed a near doubling of outstanding debt to about `10 lakh crore, a record revenue deficit of `78,324 crore, sharp decline in SOTR-GSDP ratio, and rise in interest payments that exceeded capital expenditure during the fiveyear post-Covid period. The FM, however, exuded confidence that the present situation can be reversed through corruption-free governance, stronger revenue mobilisation, expenditure efficiency checking the ‘leakag, es’ in revenue resources, and reforms in PSUs. “The decline will be corrected, and we will restore TN to the number one position,” the minister said at the press conference. Asked about schemes for which the previous government may have allocated funds unnecessarily, the minister said, “We never said that welfare schemes are not good. Announcing schemes without income generation leads to difficulty That is what we are . pointing out.”  P5 kumar (Perundurai) and P Sathyabama (Dharapuram) and Esakki Subbaiyah (Ambasamuthiram) resigned their posts and joined the TVK. Vijayabaskar’s resignation comes amid continuing unrest within the AIADMK. Over the past two days, he had criticised the party leadership, raising questions about the party’s direction. Hours before submitting his resignation, Vijayabaskar posted a message on ‘X’, taking an indirect swipe at AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami. Without naming EPS, Vijayabaskar said the leadership should be based on care, dedication and trust, and not on authority or ar rogance.  P5 THE Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has amended rules to prohibit sale of cough syrups without a doctor’s prescription. The decision comes months after contaminated cough syrups caused deaths in India and abroad. “The measure is expected to promote responsible distribution and sale of cough syrups while ensuring greater compliance with regulatory standards,” officials said. Welcoming the gover nment’s decision, Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover, associate direc- tie, tie... let’s go: Big upsets draw attention This World Cup has thrown quite a few early surprises with lower ranked teams showing more resistance and spunk than their more illustrious counterparts. Though 5 days and 16 matches of football until June 16 morning, underdogs are the flavour of the week. Here are a look at some talking points... 0-0 2-2 1-1 The biggest win (figuratively) of all saw Cape Verde managing to thwart Spanish attack and secure 0-0 draw. Spain are ranked 2 and are considered as one of the favourites while Cape Verde are ranked No 67 New Zealand, at No 85, are the lowestranked team out of the 48 qualifiers, but they held No 20 Iran to a draw 4 Cough syrups will no longer be sold over the counter | p RAVIKUMAR tor, pulmonology and critical care at CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, said: “A cough can be a symptom of other serious Ronaldo in action Cristiano Ronaldo will be in action, his sixth World Cup, late on Wednesday when Portugal takes on Democratic Republic of Congo. They are in Group K along with Colombia and Uzbekistan. England, one of the favourites World Cup, will open campaign against Croatia. No 61 Saudi Arabia held No 16 Uruguay 1-1 No 29 Egypt tied No 9 Belgium 1-1 All four matches on Monday/Tuesday (India time) ended in draws -the most in a single day of men’s WC play since 1958 Today’s matches (IST): Group L: England vs Croatia (1:30AM); Ghana vs Panama (4:30AM). Group K: Portugal vs DR Congo (10:30 PM); Uzbekistan vs Colombia (7:30AM). New Zealand players celebrate with teammates after scoring his team’s second goal during Group G match against Iran at Los Angeles Stadium conditions, such as infections, asthma, and allergies. Prescription-based access encourages proper evaluation, accu- rate treatment, and safer medication use.” Dr Mohsin Wali, senior consultant and head of preventive cardiology at Pacific One Health, said some African countries reported deaths due to cough syrups from India that contained industrial solvent. “This brought a bad name to our country he said. ,” Dr Meena J, senior consultant, paediatrics and neonatology at Aakash Healthcare, Delhi said making syrups prescription-only will encourage parents to consult a doctor before giving their children medicines. TN’s crop loan bonanza: Full waiver up to `75K E x p r e s s ne w s s e r vi c e @ Chennai Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Tuesday announced a revised crop loan waiver scheme under which all marginal, small, and large farmers who availed crop loans up to `75,000 from cooperative banks would receive a full waiver. Those who borrowed more than `75,000 would be eligible for a waiver of `35,000. The scheme will benefit 14.43 lakh farmers who obtained crop loans from cooperative banks between May 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026. On May 25, the government had announced a waiver of loans up to `50,000 for marginal farmers and a 50% waiver on loans up to `50,000 for small farmers. Large farmers with crop loans of up to `1 lakh were eligible for a waiver of `5,000. However, a section of farmers staged protests demanding a complete waiver of crop loans for those holding up to five acres and a 50% waiver for farmers owning more than five acres, in line with the promise made in the TVK election manifesto. Following this, the CM chaired a review meeting on Monday and asked ministers and senior officials to restructure the scheme. Under the revised scheme, the financial burden on the state exchequer will rise from `2,044 crore to `5,932 crore. The number of beneficiaries has increased to 14.43 lakh from about 14.22 lakh.  P5