Taj Mahal and all centrally protected ASI monuments to reopen; check dates and entry rules
New Delhi/Agra, Jun 14: The Taj Mahal and all other centrally protected monuments, museums and sites, closed for around two months due to the Covid pandemic, will be reopened on June 16, an Archaeological Survey of India order issued on Monday said.
These include 3,693 monuments and 50 museums across India.
An ASI official said visitors will be able to book entry tickets online.
However, no offline booking facility will be available, the official added.
According to the ASI order, the opening of the monuments will be in strict compliance with the executive orders, if any, issued by the state, district or the disaster management authority.
"Today @MinOfCultureGoI has given @ASIGoI approval to duly open all the monuments of India from 16 June 2021. Tourists can visit the monuments following the Corona rules. Good luck to all," tweeted Union Culture and Tourism minister Prahlad Patel.
Appropriate guidelines and SOPs issued by Union and states governments, ministries and departments will be scrupulously followed while regulating the flow of visitors, the order said.
In an order on April 15, the ASI had shut these monuments till May 31.
Last year, all monuments and sites maintained by the ASI were closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 17. They reopened in July with strict restrictions like mandatory wearing of masks, a cap on the number of visitors and social distancing.
The curbs were relaxed later in the year.
However, due to the surge in cases again this year, these monuments were closed for the public.
Superintending Archeologist, Agra Circle ASI, Dr Vasant Kumar Swarnkar said Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri and other centrally-protected monuments, sites and museums will be reopened from Wednesday.
"We will maintain social distancing among the visitors and sanitisation of the monuments premises will be done thrice in a day. The body temperature will be checked through a thermal thermometer. Besides, the shoes of the tourists would be properly sanitised," he told PTI.
"Tourists would not be allowed to touch any object inside the Taj Mahal and other monuments and sites. They have to follow social distancing norms while sitting as well," he added.
आज @MinOfCultureGoI ने @ASIGoI के सभी स्मारकों को 16 जून 2021 से विधिवत खोलने की स्वीकृति प्रदान की है ।पर्यटक कोरोना नियमों का पालन करते हुए स्मारकों का भ्रमण कर सकते हैं ।सभी को शुभकामनाएँ @PMOIndia @JPNadda @incredibleindia @tourismgoi @NMANEWDELHI @ngma_delhi @NMIHACM pic.twitter.com/zJYAXTfNE7
— Prahlad Singh Patel (@prahladspatel) June 14, 2021
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Rupee falls 28 paise to 94.77 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 28 paise to 94.77 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday as market sentiment took a dramatic turn after reports emerged that the US and Iran are discussing a 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at reducing tensions and reopening negotiations.
Forex traders said Brent oil prices, which had fallen to USD 98 on the US-Iran peace deal, edged slightly higher to USD 101 per barrel after investors weighed the prospects for a Middle East peace deal.
Moreover, factors such as unabated foreign capital outflows amid rising geopolitical uncertainties further dented investor sentiment.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.77 against the US dollar, registering a fall of 28 paise over its previous close.
On Wednesday, the rupee appreciated 69 paise to close at 94.49 against the US dollar.
"Markets are currently focused on the critical 48-hour window during which the US expects Tehran’s formal response through Pakistani mediators," said CR Forex Advisors MD Amit Pabari.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading at 98.01, down 0.01 per cent.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.65 per cent at USD 101.83 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex declined 160.24 points to 77,798.28 in early trade, while the Nifty was down 30.25 points to 24,300.70.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth Rs 5,834.90 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
On the domestic macroeconomic front, the country's goods and services exports rose 4.6 per cent to an all-time high of USD 863.11 billion during 2025-26, up from USD 825.26 billion in 2024-25, despite global economic uncertainties, according to revised commerce ministry data.
Merchandise exports grew 0.93 per cent to USD 441.78 billion in the last fiscal year from USD 437.70 billion in 2024-25, the data showed.
