Rupee rebounds 40 paise to close at 74.36 a dollar
Mumbai: The Indian rupee on Thursday staged a smart recovery to end at 74.36 against the US dollar, clocking a gain of 40 paise amid positive sentiments in domestic and global markets.
Weakness in American currency against its key rivals also supported the Indian unit, forex traders said.
At the interbank forex market, the domestic unit opened at 74.35 against the US dollar and saw an intra-day high of 74.25 and a low of 74.41.
It finally closed at 74.36, registering a rise of 40 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee had plunged by 35 paise to close at its weakest level in over 10 weeks at 74.76.
"Indian rupee gained in line with the other Asian peers. Risk-on sentiments supported the Asian currencies with the dollar falling across the board," said Devarsh Vakil, Deputy Head Retail Research, HDFC Securities.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.22 percent down at 93.20.
On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex closed at 41,340.16, up 724.02 points or 1.78 percent; and the broader NSE Nifty zoomed 211.80 points or 1.78 percent to finish at 12,120.30.
Vakil further said that "domestic equity indices are going to attract fund flows and that will keep check on rupee depreciation for next few sessions.
"We feel Rupee has completed its recent round of depreciation yesterday and is likely to consolidate between 74 to 74.5 range, he added.
Foreign institutional investors were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth a whopping Rs 5,368.31 crore on Thursday, exchange data showed.
Meanwhile, Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.75 percent to USD 40.92 per barrel
"The Indian rupee appreciated against the US currency on Thursday supported by upbeat local equities amid a probability that Democrat Joe Biden could win the US Presidential elections," said Sriram Iyer, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities.
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MP HC sets up judicial commission to probe water contamination in Indore
Indore (PTI): The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday set up a commission of inquiry comprising a former HC judge to probe the issue of water contamination in city's Bhagirathpura, saying the matter requires probe by an independent, credible authority and "urgent judicial scrutiny".
It also directed the commission to submit an interim report after four weeks from the date of commencement of proceedings.
A division bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi constituted the commission while hearing several public interest litigations (PILs) filed simultaneously regarding the deaths of several people in Bhagirathpura due to the consumption of contaminated water.
The HC reserved the order after hearing all the parties during the day, and released it late at night.
The state government on Tuesday told the HC that the deaths of 16 people in Indore's Bhagirathpura area was possibly linked to a month-long outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The government presented an audit report of 23 deaths from the current gastroenteritis epidemic in Bhagirathpura before the bench, suggesting that 16 of these fatalities may have been linked to the outbreak of vomiting and diarrhoea caused by contaminated drinking water.
The report, prepared by a committee of five experts from the city's Government Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, stated that the deaths of four people in Bhagirathpura were unrelated to the outbreak, while no conclusion could be reached regarding the cause of death of three other people in the area.
During the hearing, the high court sought to know from the state government the scientific basis behind its report.
The division bench also expressed surprise at the state government's use of the term "verbal autopsy" in relation to the report, sarcastically stating that it had heard the term for the first time.
The HC expressed concern over the Bhagirathpura case, stating that the situation was "alarming," and noted that cases of people falling ill due to contaminated drinking water have also been reported in Mhow, near Indore.
In its order, the HC said the serious issue concerning contamination of the drinking water supply in Bhagirathpura area allegedly resulted in widespread health hazards to residents, including children and elderly persons.
According to the petitioners and media reports, death toll is about 30 till today, but the report depicts only 16 without any basis or record, it said.
It is averred that sewage mixing, leakage in the pipeline, and failure of civic authorities to maintain potable water standards have led to the outbreak of water-borne diseases. Photographs, medical reports, and complaints submitted to the authorities prima facie indicate a matter requiring urgent judicial scrutiny, the HC said.
"Considering the gravity of the allegation and affecting the right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and the need for an independent fact-finding exercise, the Court is of the opinion that the matter requires investigation by an independent, credible authority," it said.
"Accordingly, we appoint Justice Sushil Kumar Gupta, former judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, a one-man commission of inquiry into the issues relating to water contamination in Bhagirathpura, Indore, and its impact on other areas of the city," the HC added.
As per the order, the commission shall inquire into and submit a report on the cause of contamination -- whether the drinking water supplied to Bhagirathpura was contaminated; and the source and nature of contamination (sewage ingress, industrial discharge, pipeline damage etc).
The panel will also probe the number of actual deaths of affected residents on account of contaminated water; find out the nature of disease reported and adequacy of medical response and preventive measures; suggest immediate steps required to ensure safe drinking water as well as long-term infrastructural and monitoring reforms.
It will also identify and fix responsibility upon the officers and officials found prima facie responsible for the Bhagirathpura water contamination incident, and suggest guidelines for compensation to affected residents, particularly vulnerable sections.
The commission shall have powers of a civil court for the purpose of summoning officials and witnesses; calling up records from the government department, hospitals, laboratories and civic bodies; ordering water quality testing through accredited laboratories; conducting spot inspections.
All state authorities involving district administration, Indore Municipal Corporation, public health engineering department and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board shall extend full co-operation and provide records as sought by the commission, it said.
The state government shall provide office space, staff, and logistical support to the commission, it said.
During the hearing in the day, the state government also presented a status report to the court in this matter.
According to reports, a total of 454 patients were admitted to local hospitals during the vomiting and diarrhea outbreak, of whom 441 have been discharged after treatment, and 11 are currently hospitalised.
According to officials, due to a leak in the municipal drinking water pipeline in Bhagirathpura, sewage from a toilet was also mixed in the water.
