Oldest woman voter in Delhi gets inked at 111
New Delhi: Centenarian Kalitara Mandal, the oldest voter in Delhi, on Saturday cast her vote and urged people to take part in the democratic exercise.
Aged 111, she came to a polling station in CR Park along with her son, grandson and other family members. She flashed her inked wrinkled finger to photographers after voting.
"I am happy to vote in this election. I don't remember how many elections I have taken part in, but as a responsible citizen, we must vote. I urge other citizens to also come out and vote," Mandal told PTI.
Born in undivided India in Barisal (now in Bangladesh) in 1908, Mandal has seen the subcontinent go through turbulent phases many times, including two partitions, and lived "twice as a refugee" in India along with her family before finding a home in the national capital.
There are a total of 132 centenarian voters in Delhi -- 68 males and 64 females.
Mandal, who has seen and participated in nearly all elections in India in the last century, fondly recalled the time when ballot boxes were used to cast votes.
"Yes, I remember, they (polling officials) would take my thumb impression and then the ballot paper would be folded and put into boxes. I have voted with big machines (EVMs) too," she said.
She is the eldest of four generations of Mandals who live in C R Park area, a famous Bengali enclave set up in the national capital after the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
The assistant returning officer who escorted Mandal from her home in K-Block, Harish Kumar, said, "I feel blessed to have been given this job".
"In this age, she came out and voted, it should be an inspiration for all of us Indians, to use our democratic right of voting," he said.
Kumar said, there is another centenarian in the Greater Kailash constituency.
Mandal has lost all her teeth but definitely not her appetite for fish and the will to participate in the election.
Voting for the 70-member Delhi Assembly is underway.
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Rupee sees high volatility against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee witnessed high volatility in early trade on Wednesday, as support from easing crude oil prices was offset by uncertainty over the India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said the key driver of rupee weakness in December was continued FPI selling across both equity and debt markets, with foreign investors repeatedly selling several billion dollars’ worth of Indian assets on a daily basis in the last few months, the selling intensifying in the last two months.
ALSO READ: Rupee falls 9 paise to record low of 90.87 against US dollar in early trade
However, with Brent crude oil prices hovering near recent multi-year lows of USD 59 per barrel, the local unit was supported at lower levels.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 91.05 against the US dollar, down 12 paise from its previous close.
The domestic unit, however, witnessed a sharp recovery and appreciated 97 paise to touch an early high of 89.96 against the American currency and was trading at 90.18 against the US dollar at 09.46 hrs.
On Tuesday, the rupee tanked below 91 per dollar, hitting a low of 91.14. It finally settled at 90.93 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.17 per cent higher at 98.31.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading at USD 59.54 per barrel in futures trade, as record non-OPEC supply, weak China data and optimism over a Ukraine ceasefire were the main reasons for the current fall, traders said.
Meanwhile, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on Tuesday informed Parliament that, "During the current financial year, the depreciation of the INR has been influenced by the increase in trade deficit and likely prospects arising from the ongoing developments in India's trade agreement with the US, amid relatively weak support from the capital account."
"The depreciation of currency is likely to enhance export competitiveness, which in turn impacts the economy positively. On the other hand, depreciation may raise the prices of imported goods. However, the overall impact of exchange rate depreciation on domestic prices depends on the extent of the pass-through of international commodity prices to the domestic market," he said.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 146.09 points higher at 84,825.95, while the Nifty was up 62.05 points at 25,922.15.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 2,381.92 crore on Tuesday, according to exchange data.
According to Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director, Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP, the rupee may see a slow and steady move towards 92 in the coming days, with no signs of any trade deal happening between India and the US, which has also been a cause for the equities to fall.
