Rupee hits new low of 55.47 against US dollar, RBI still absent

May 22, 2012

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Mumbai, May 22: Continuing its free fall for the fifth day in a row, rupee set a new low of 55.47 before ending at 55.39 against the dollar on relentless demand for the American currency from importers, especially oil refiners, even as foreign fund flows remained muted.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the domestic unit opened sharply higher at 54.60 per dollar from its last close of 55.03 on initial surge in stocks.

But soon dollar demand overshadowed the rupee sentiment even as other Asian currencies rose for a second day despite rating agency Fitch downgrading Japan's sovereign rating by one notch to A+ with a negative outlook.

Strong dollar demand from importers pulled rupee down to a low of 55.47. The domestic currency, which has lost over 11 per cent since March this year, today finally closed at 55.39, showing a fall of 0.65 per cent or 36 paise.

Forex dealers said for the second day in a row, there was no RBI role on Tuesday despite rupee touching new lows. They said capital inflows, the major driver behind rupee's appreciation, were absent in view of the global worries.

Data shows FIIs sold stocks worth Rs 283 crore on Tuesday. Indian stocks benchmark Sensex closed 157 points lower.

Moses Harding, head - ALCO and Economic & Market Research, IndusInd Bank said: "While there was genuine demand for dollars from importers, supply is not able to match the demand due to low capital flows."

On Monday, after the currency tumbled by 61 paise or 1.12 per cent, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) imposed restrictions of forward contracts by banks and arbitrage trading.

"Rupee also depreciated due to unwinding of positions today. Also, Monday's announcement by RBI has short-term negative impact," said T S Srinivasan, GM (Treasury), Indian Overseas Bank.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi said: "The government is taking a series of steps. However, managing rupee is market-related.... There is a lot of volatility.

"As and when RBI will consider necessary they will intervene. It depends on the market forces and market forces are uncertain," he said.

The dollar index, consisting of six major currencies, was up by nearly 0.4 per cent with investors looking ahead to a European Union leaders' meeting on Wednesday, as the bloc seeks to address the issue of Greece's possible exit from Eurozone.

Pramit Brahmbhatt, CEO, Alpari Financial Services (India) said, "The ongoing gilts auction and other expected OMOs (open market operations) can help the rupee to recover from its lows but the chances are grim as there has been pressure from global weakness."

Other experts also expect rupee's weakness to continue.

"With the expectation of further weakness, the exporter won't be very keen to sell the dollars in the near term whereas importers and ECB holders, buyers' credit takers, are coming in the market and hedging their short dollar positions," said Abhishek Goenka, CEO, India Forex Advisors.

Moses Harding, Head - ALCO and Economic & Market Research, IndusInd Bank, expects rupee to gain after reaching 57-level.

"Looking forward, over the near-term, we expect the rupee to remain volatile as further sovereign measures can be anticipated but can be absorbed by a negative stream of news flow from the Eurozone," said Anindya Banerjee, senior manager - currency derivatives, Kotak Securities.

The rupee premium for the forward dollar on Tuesday ended steady to better on sustained paying pressure from banks and corporates.

The benchmark six-month forward dollar premium payable in October finished at 156-1/2-158-1/2 paise from Monday's close of 156-158 paise while far-forward contracts maturing in April settled up at 284-286 paise from 280-282 paise.

The RBI fixed the reference rate for the US dollar at 54.8845 and for euro at 70.2093. The rupee declined further to 87.38 against the pound sterling from 87.00 previously and also remained weak against the euro to 70.68 from 70.25. However, it recovered against the Japanese yen to 69.36 per 100 from last close of 69.42.

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News Network
March 31,2020

New Delhi, Mar 31: The total number of coronavirus cases in India has risen to 1,397 after 146 new patients were reported in the last 24-hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Tuesday.

Of this little less than 1,400 cases, there are 1,238 active while 124 cured. The total figure also includes 35 fatalities.

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Agencies
February 23,2020

New Delhi, Feb 23: Hailing the role of first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in shaping India a modern nation state, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday hit out at the Narendra Modi-led Central government, saying "nationalism" and the slogan of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' are being misused to construct a militant and purely emotional idea of India.

Speaking at the launch of a book on Jawaharlal Nehru's works and speeches, Singh said: "I am extremely happy that this book makes an effort to revisit Pandit Nehru. He had led this country in its volatile, formative days when we adopted democratic way of life, accommodating divergent social and political views."

The former Prime Minister said that Nehru, who was very proud of Indian heritage, "assimilated it", and harmonised them into the needs of a "new modern" India.

"A great visionary, Nehruji laid the foundation for shaping India as a modern nation state," he said.

Highlighting the works of the first Prime Minister, Singh said: "If India is recognized in the comity of nations as a vibrant democracy and, if it is considered as one of the important world powers, it was Nehru, who should be recognised as its main architect."

He said Nehru was not only a statesman of high international standing, but a great historian and literary figure too.

"With an inimitable style, and a multi-linguist, Nehru laid the foundation of the universities, academies and cultural institutions of Modern India. But for Nehru's leadership, Independent India would not have become what it is today," he said.

Taking an apparent dig at the BJP government, he said: "But unfortunately, a section of people who either do not have the patience to read history or would like to be deliberately guided by their prejudices, try their best to picture Nehru in a false light.

"But I am sure, history has a capacity to reject fake and false insinuations and put everything in proper perspective," he said.

He said the book "Who is Bharat Mata" is such an attempt to set the narrative in the right direction.

Singh said that selecting appropriate pieces from Nehruji's works, the book justifies its title "Who is Bharat Mata?"

"As this book contains a timely collection of writings by and on Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru- the leader, who shaped India and the Icon whose legacy is the subject of intense and often angry reaction today.

The book also comprises reminiscences and assessments of Nehru by some of his contemporaries and near contemporaries-among them, including Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Aruna Asaf Ali, Sheikh Abdullah, Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, Ali Sardar Jafri, Baldev Singh, Martin Luther King Jr, Richard Attenborough, Lee Kuan Yew and Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"It is a book of particular relevance at a time when nationalism and the slogan of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai' are being misused to construct a militant and purely emotional idea of India that excludes millions of residents and citizens," Singh said attacking the BJP government.

The two time Prime Minister further said that in the pages of the carefully complied anthology-which also carries illuminating introductions by the authors Nehru emerges as a "remarkable man of ideas and action", who had an instinctive understanding of India's civilisational spirit and as a visionary with clear commitment to the promotion of scientific temper, who despite the compulsions of politics, remained a true democrat.

"His legacy continues to be of immense significance-perhaps more today than at any other time in our history," he said.

He also warned that "Nehru makes a very significant and time relevant remark on the dangers of leaderships falling into a trap and getting removed far away from the common people whom they are supposed to serve".

"In an atmosphere, when emotions are deliberately get provoked and the gullible are misled by false propaganda, misusing communication technology, this book makes a refreshing break through," Singh added.

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News Network
June 23,2020

Jun 23: The U.S. government on Monday restricted charter flights from India, accusing the nation of "unfair and discriminatory practices" by violating a treaty governing aviation between the two countries.

Air India Ltd. has been making flights to repatriate its citizens during the travel disruptions caused by the Covid-19 outbreak, but also has been selling tickets to the public, the Transportation Department alleged.

At the same time, U.S. airlines have been prohibited from flying to India by aviation regulators there, the DOT said in its order. The situation "creates a competitive disadvantage for U.S. carriers," the agency said in a press release.

Air India is advertising a schedule that is more than half of pre-virus operations, the department said. "The charters go beyond true repatriations, and it appears that Air India may be using repatriation charters as a way of circumventing" that nation's flight restrictions, the U.S. agency said.

The order becomes effective in 30 days, the department said.

Indian airlines must apply to the DOT for authorization before conducting charter flights so that it can scrutinize them more closely, it said. The department will reconsider the restrictions once India lifts restrictions on U.S. carriers.

The action against India follows weeks of DOT restrictions against Chinese airlines after the U.S. agency accused that nation of unfairly banning American carriers in the wake of the virus. On June 15, the U.S. announced it would agree to allow four flights a week from China after it allowed the same number by U.S. carriers.

Attempts to reach Air India and the Indian embassy in Washington after business hours were unsuccessful.

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