Rupee falls 1 paisa to 85.92 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee slipped 1 paisa to its record low of 85.92 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, the third straight session of downfall, weighed down by a stronger American currency and higher crude oil prices.
Forex traders said the relentless outflow of foreign funds amid soaring US bond yields boosted the American currency, while subdued domestic equity markets pushed the rupee down further.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at its historic low level of 85.94 and inched up to 85.92 against the greenback in initial deals, trading with a loss of 1 paisa from its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee plunged 17 paise to settle at its all-time low closing level of 85.91 against the dollar.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.11 per cent lower but stayed elevated at 108.80.
The 10-year US bond yields also remained elevated at 4.66 per cent amid expectations of delayed interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve on better growth prospects of the world's largest economy.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.10 per cent to USD 76.08 per barrel in futures trade.
In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex was trading 243.43 points, or 0.31 per cent, lower at 77,905.06 points, while the Nifty was down 72.40 points, or 0.31 per cent, at 23,616.55 points.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) offloaded Rs 3,362.18 crore in the capital markets on a net basis on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
