PM highlights Manipuri man's effort to resolve electricity problem through solar energy
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted a Manipuri man's effort to bring electricity to his remote village, describing how he found the solution in solar power that brought light to hundreds of houses in the area.
Talking about Shriram Moirangthem in his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Modi said the 40-year-old man has once again proved true the old saying 'where there is a will, there is a way' when he resolved the major electricity problem in his area in Manipur.
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To overcome the challenge of ensuring a regular supply of electricity, Moirangthem focused on local solutions. "In our Manipur, it is anyway easy to generate solar energy. So, Moirangthem started a campaign to install solar panels and on account of this campaign, today solar power has reached hundreds of houses in his area," the prime minister said.
Modi said the special thing is that Moirangthem has used solar power to improve health care and livelihood.
"Today, owing to his efforts, many health centres in Manipur are also getting solar power. The women of Manipur have also benefited a lot from this endeavour. Local fishermen and artists have also been helped through this," he said.
The prime minister also talked about his government's flagship programme to provide solar power to households. He said that under the 'PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana', the government is providing approximately Rs 75,000 to Rs 80,000 to each beneficiary family for installing solar panels.
"While Moirangthem's efforts are personal, they are giving new impetus to every campaign related to solar power. I extend my best wishes to him through 'Mann Ki Baat'," he said.
#WATCH | Manipur: On being recognised by PM Modi in the 129th edition of 'Mann Ki Baat' for his solar power solutions, Entrepreneur Moirangthem Seth says, "I feel very happy and proud of today's 'Mann Ki Baat' because our work has been recognised by the Prime Minister of India.… pic.twitter.com/c0F7yxZq7X
— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2025
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Rupee hits all-time low for second time in a week
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 31 paise to settle at 91.99 against the US dollar on Wednesday, touching the lowest closing level for the second time in less than a week, amid increased month-end demand for the greenback.
Forex traders said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe offered quiet reassurance. However, increased month-end demand for the American currency as well as the ongoing geopolitical tensions dented investors' sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 91.60 and touched an early high of 91.50, but pared all the gains to touch an intra-day low of 91.99 against the greenback.
The domestic unit settled 31 paise down, revisiting its lowest-ever closing level of 91.99 against the greenback. The Indian currency previously ended at this level on January 23 when it also hit its all-time intraday low of 92 against the US dollar.
On Tuesday, the rupee rebounded from its all-time low levels and gained 22 paise to close at 91.68 against the US dollar.
Analysts said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe bolstered investor sentiment.
India and the European Union on Tuesday announced the conclusion of negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA), under which a number of domestic sectors such as apparel, chemicals and footwear will get duty-free entry into the 27-nation bloc, while the EU will get access to the Indian market at concessional duty for cars and wines, an official said.
The deal has been dubbed the "mother of all deals" as it will create a market of about 2 billion people.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.07 per cent lower at 96.14.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.43 per cent lower at USD 67.28 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 487.20 points to settle at 82,344.68, while Nifty surged 167.35 points to 25,342.75.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers and purchased equities worth Rs 480.26 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
