Preparations in full swing for PM Modi's Varanasi visit; to flag off 4 Vande Bharat trains
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Varanasi (UP) (PTI): Elaborate security and administrative arrangements have been made in Varanasi ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency beginning Friday evening.
During this visit, he will flag off four new Vande Bharat Express trains connecting key cities across the country.
According to officials, the prime minister will arrive at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Babatpur around 5 pm on Friday, from where he will travel by road to Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW), where he will stay overnight.
On Saturday morning, at around 8.15 am, Modi will flag off four Vande Bharat Express trains from the Banaras railway station. These new semi-high-speed trains will operate on the Banaras-Khajuraho, Lucknow-Saharanpur, Firozpur-Delhi, and Ernakulam-Bengaluru routes.
The Banaras-Khajuraho Vande Bharat will connect prominent cultural and religious destinations, including Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Chitrakoot, officials said.
After the flagging-off ceremony, Modi will travel by helicopter to Babatpur Airport and depart for Darbhanga, Bihar, around 9.15 am.
Meanwhile, the city has been adorned to welcome the prime minister. According to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionaries, arrangements have been made for his grand reception at several locations along his route, including Sant Atulanand Bypass, near JP Mehta, the BLW FCI godown, and near the BLW gate.
Commissioner of Police Mohit Agarwal said a three-tier security system has been put in place for the prime minister's visit. The entire route has been declared a 'no-flying zone', and CCTV surveillance and drone monitoring will ensure real-time vigilance.
All police personnel deployed on duty have been instructed to carry their identity cards at all times. No vehicles will be allowed to halt on the prime minister's route, and rooftop security deployment has also been made, Agarwal said, adding that entry at the venue will be permitted only after thorough security checks.
Separate arrangements have been made for the frisking of women by women police officers, and officials on duty have been directed to carry loudspeakers and public address systems to manage the crowd efficiently.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
