Uttarakhand: Death toll to increase after clearance of debris Uttarakhand/New Delhi, June 27 (ANI): The death toll in flood-hit Uttarakhand is likely to increase after the clearance of 10-feet high debris near the Hindu shrine of Kedarnath. Interacting with reporters at a news conference in New Delhi, vice- chairman of
the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) M. Shashidhar Reddy said
the operation to clear the temple town and recovering of dead bodies from the debris was on. The floods, triggered by heavy monsoon rains more than 10 days ago,
had killed at least 822 people in Uttarakhand and forced tens of thousands from their homes. Officials
said the death toll might cross 1,000 and thousands were missing.
Khurshid promises
solution to new UK visa rules New Delhi/Amritsar, June 27 (ANI): Union Foreign minister Salman
Khurshid assured of a solution after discussing with authorities
concerned details of new visa rules proposed by British government asking for a cash bond from Indians
applicants. Yatin Singh, a student hailing from Amritsar, who was planning to apply for
visa, said the Indian government should ensure that this bond fee was removed as it would burden students. The British government
has initiated new visa rules for six countries to curb longer stays, which would come into effect from November, 2013.
Amarnath Yatra kicks off amid tight security Jammu, June 27 (ANI): Despite reports of deaths and serious
damage by flash floods from Uttarakhand, the much-awaited Amarnath Yatra kicked off
with the first batch of pilgrims departing from Jammu for the Holy Cave
today. Devotees travel from Himachal Pradesh, New Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Odisha and Maharashtra to participate in
the pilgrimage. Santosh Kumar Soni, a pilgrim, said he would pray for the safety of the Uttarakhand
flood victims.
Re recovers from record low
New Delhi, June 27 (ANI): The Rupee recovered from lows in early trading
by rising 32 paise to 60.40 against the Dollar at the Interbank Foreign Exchange market on fresh selling of the US currency by exporters and
banks today. Forex dealers said the weakening Dollar against other currencies in overseas market and fresh foreign
fund inflows into domestic equity markets also helped the Rupee to recover.
Analysts said it would take more for the Rupee to find its right value and
get stabilise. Inflow of foreign capital and the government’s ability to curb inflation
was the key. The Rupee’s slump through recent weeks was threatening to blow a bigger hole in household budgets and dashing hopes that the RBI
wouldl make loans cheaper.
