Similipal National Park opens for tourists after 7 months
Baripada (Odisha): The Similipal National Park was thrown open to visitors on Sunday after remaining closed for more than seven months in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.
Amid strict adherence to the guidelines, 258 tourists entered the picturesque national park in 40 vehicles from two entry points on the first day, said AK Biswal, the assistant conservator of forest of the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR).
While 175 tourists went inside the reserve in 25 vehicles through Pithabata, 83 visitors entered in 15 vehicles through the Kaliani entry point, said Biswal, who along with STR staff greeted the visitors with roses at the entry gates.
"The visitors were enthusiastic. The vehicles, passengers, and their belongings were scanned at the entry and exit points. The footfall is likely to increase," he said.
Long queues of visitors were seen both at Pithabata near Baripada and Kaliani near Jashipur since morning for obtaining permission to enter the reserve.
The permit to enter the park through these two points were issued from 6-9 am. Each vehicle was required to have a tour guide.
All the visitors were asked to wear face masks, use sanitizers and strictly adhere to COVID-19 protocols, including social distance during their visit, Biswal added.
The Similipal National Park, a top tiger reserve in the country, attracts thousands of tourists each year.
The authorities have made additional arrangements for the night stay of the visitors with prior booking at Barehipani, Kumari, Gudugudia, Ramatirtha, and Jamuani inside the sanctuary area.
The visiting day tourists are directed to come out of the Barehipani and Joranda waterfall sights by 3 pm and Chahala by 4 pm. All-day tourists are required to leave the sanctuary area by 5 pm, the official said.
The visitors who intend to stay overnight can make their reservations at www.ecotourodisha.com.
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Rupee falls 2 paise to close at 85.52 against US dollar
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee consolidated in a narrow range and settled for the day 2 paise lower at 85.52 (provisional) against the US dollar on Wednesday, as the support from positive domestic markets was negated by uncertainty over trade tariffs.
Forex traders said the Indian rupee ended the first trading session of the fiscal year 2025-26 on a flat note over Trump's reciprocal tariffs concerns and foreign fund outflows. A surge in crude oil prices also put pressure on the rupee.
However, positive domestic markets and a weak tone in the US dollar cushioned the downside, forex dealers said.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 85.65 then touched an intra-day high of 85.50 and a low of 85.73 against the greenback. The unit ended the session at 85.52 (provisional) against the dollar, registering a loss of 2 paise from its previous closing level.
"We expect the rupee to trade with a positive bias on trade tariff uncertainty and worries over rising crude oil prices. However, foreign inflows and positive domestic markets may support rupee at lower levels," said Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset Sharekhan.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the high tariffs charged by India and other countries on American goods.
He plans to roll out a set of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, which he says will be "Liberation Day" for the US.
On Friday, the rupee appreciated 24 paise to close at 85.50 against the US dollar.
This is the first trading session of the 2025-26 financial year. On April 1, the currency and bond markets were closed on Tuesday for the annual account closing of banks.
On March 31, stock, money, commodity and derivative markets remained closed on account of Eid-Ul-Fitr.
In the financial year 2024-25, the rupee depreciated more than 2 per cent. On April 2, 2024, it was quoted at 83.42 against the US dollar.
In March this year, the local unit appreciated 2.17 per cent, the maximum since November 2018 when the local unit had registered a gain of over 5 per cent.
The dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.12 per cent lower at 104.13.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.12 per cent to USD 74.40 per barrel in futures trade.
In the domestic equity market, the 30-share BSE Sensex rose 592.93 points, or 0.78 per cent, to close at 76,617.44, while the Nifty advanced 166.65 points, or 0.72 per cent, to settle at 23,332.35 points.
Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) turned sellers and offloaded equities worth Rs 5,901.63 crore on a net basis on Tuesday, according to exchange data.
Meanwhile, India's manufacturing sector growth rose to an eight-month high in March, driven by quicker increases in factory orders and production amid buoyant demand conditions, a monthly survey said on Wednesday.
The seasonally adjusted HSBC India Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index(PMI) was at 58.1 in March, up from 56.3 in February.
On Friday, the Reserve Bank of India said the country's forex reserves jumped USD 4.529 billion to USD 658.8 billion during the week ended March 21.
In the previous reporting week, the overall reserves had increased USD 305 million to USD 654.271 billion.
This is the third consecutive week of rise in the kitty, which has been on a declining trend recently due to revaluation, along with forex market interventions by the RBI to help reduce volatilities in the rupee.
