Cyclone Ditwah, which has already caused massive destruction in Sri Lanka, is moving towards the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts, prompting widespread alerts, flight cancellations and school closures across the region.

Cyclone intensifies over Bay of Bengal

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the storm continues to move in a north-northwest direction and is expected to reach the southwest Bay of Bengal near North Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and adjoining south Andhra Pradesh by November 30.
The IMD said the system was centred over the southwest Bay of Bengal and north Sri Lanka at 8:30 am today, travelling at 8 kmph.

The cyclone is projected to move even closer to the Tamil Nadu coastline within hours — at distances of 60 km by midnight, 50 km by early morning, and 25 km by tomorrow evening.

123 dead in Sri Lanka, over 100 missing

Sri Lanka has been hit hardest so far, with at least 123 deaths and more than 100 people reported missing due to torrential rain and floods triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. The country’s meteorological officials confirmed that the storm has now exited the island but warned that heavy rainfall and strong winds will persist for some time.

Chennai flights disrupted amid severe weather forecast

Chennai Airport has suspended 54 scheduled flights as a precaution, anticipating extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds over the next 48 hours. The cancellations include several regional turboprop services to Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Thoothukudi, Salem, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Jaffna.
Both arrivals and departures have been halted, and airlines have advised passengers to avoid last-minute travel to the airport.

Schools shut in parts of Tamil Nadu

Amid warnings of intense rainfall across Tamil Nadu, multiple districts have ordered school closures to ensure student safety. Authorities remain on alert as the cyclone edges closer to the coast.

Amid escalating tensions between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, the Congress high command has intervened, urging both leaders to resolve their differences. Following this push, Siddaramaiah has invited Shivakumar for a breakfast meeting tomorrow to discuss the ongoing rift.

High command steps in as leaders trade cryptic remarks

The disagreement between the two senior leaders became publicly visible after an exchange of indirect remarks on social media. DK Shivakumar posted a message stressing the importance of “keeping one’s word”, which was widely interpreted as a reminder of the rumoured 2023 “rotational chief minister formula”. According to that supposed understanding — never officially confirmed — Shivakumar was expected to take over as Chief Minister after 2.5 years.

Responding soon after, Siddaramaiah wrote that a “word is not power unless it betters the world for the people”, calling the mandate a full five-year responsibility. Sources said such public exchanges did not sit well with the party’s senior leadership.

Breakfast meet likely to ease tensions

Confirming that the high command had intervened, Siddaramaiah said he had called Shivakumar for a breakfast discussion. “When he comes for breakfast, we will discuss this. Both of us have said we will follow whatever the high command decides,” he stated. He also expressed willingness to travel to Delhi if called for talks.

Shivakumar, meanwhile, downplayed any urgency from his end. “I am not in a hurry. The party will take all decisions,” he told reporters, insisting that he wanted nothing for himself.

Rumoured formula resurfaces as government reaches halfway mark

Speculation around the power-sharing formula has intensified since the Congress government crossed its halfway point on November 20. The topic gained further attention after Shivakumar hinted at a “secret deal” involving senior leaders, although he refrained from revealing details.

Recent moves by some Congress legislators backing Shivakumar — including a visit to Delhi — also fuelled speculation, though Shivakumar claimed he was unaware of their purpose.

India’s economic momentum picked up sharply in the July–September quarter, with GDP rising 8.2%, marking the fastest growth in six quarters. The latest data shows strong manufacturing output and improved nominal growth, pushing India further up the global economic rankings.

Manufacturing boosts quarterly growth

Government figures show that manufacturing — which accounts for 14% of India’s GDP — expanded 9.1% in Q2, significantly higher than 2.2% recorded in the same period last year. The rise is attributed to higher production ahead of a possible consumption lift following GST rate adjustments.

The overall GDP print surpassed the previous quarter’s 7.8% and was well above the 5.6% recorded during the corresponding period a year earlier. India’s nominal GDP growth in the September quarter stood at 8.7%, according to the official data.

PM Modi hails “pro-growth policies”

Reacting to the fresh numbers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the performance reflects the positive impact of reforms and the resilience of Indian citizens.
He stated that the government will continue to push policies aimed at improving ease of living and enabling sustained expansion.

Growth needed for ‘Viksit Bharat’

The Economic Survey for 2024–25 has underlined that India must sustain around 8% growth at constant prices annually for the next 10–20 years to achieve the 2047 goal of becoming a developed nation.

The World Bank, too, noted earlier this year that India needs to maintain an average 7.8% growth over the next two decades to meet its aspirations, adding that such progress would require reforms to match the scale of the ambition.

India climbs global economic rankings

India continues to rise in terms of economic size — moving from the 11th spot in 2013–14 to fourth-largest globally. The country surpassed several major economies in the past decade, and experts say the next phase of progress will hinge on raising per capita income.

Government data shows India grew 8.7% in 2021–22 and 7.2% in 2022–23, consolidating its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.