BHUBANESWAR  TUESDAY  JANUARY 14, 2025  `9.00  PAGES 12  LATE CITY EDITION INDIA SUMMONS BANGLADESH ENVOY AMID BORDER FENCING ROW India on Monday summoned Bangladesh’s acting High Commissioner Nural Islam amid row over India’s construction of fencing on the border NO VIOLATION OF PROTOCOL, AGREEMENT: INDIA 5 ARRESTED BY BSF FOR SMUGGLING ATTEMPT With regard to security measures at the border, the Bangladesh envoy was told India observed all protocols and agreements between the two governments. Barbed wire fencing, border lighting, installation of technical devices are meant to secure the border, the Ministry of External Affairs said, adding that the focus is on tackling cross-border criminal activities ■ ■ The Bangladesh diplomat was summoned a day after Dhaka conveyed to Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma its deep concerns over India’s border security measures | P7 Security forces on Monday arrested five people, including two from Bangladesh, for trying to smuggle goods across the border 535 BOTTLES OF PHENSEDYL, A NARCOTIC DRUG, WERE SEIZED FROM SMUGGLERS CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Odisha joins Ayushman FLOWING WATERS AND FAITH: Bharat, over 1 cr families 1.5 CRORE TAKE THE HOLY DIP to get health coverage Will keep promise on J&K statehood: Modi Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated people of Odisha on the development. “It AFTER a long wait, the Ayush- was indeed a travesty that my man Bharat PM Jan Arogya sisters and brothers of Odisha Yojana (PM-JAY) will finally be were denied the benefits of Ayimplemented in Odisha. ushman Bharat by the previA MoU was signed between ous government. This scheme the Centre and state in New will ensure the highest-quality Delhi on Monday in healthcare at affordapresence of Chief Minble rates. It will particister Mohan Charan ularly benefit the Nari Majhi and Union Shakti and the elderly Health minister JP of Odisha,” Modi said It was indeed a Nadda. travesty that my in his X post. sisters and T h e Ay u s h m a n Nadda termed the brothers of Bharat scheme will be occasion as historic for Odisha were implemented in conOdisha as implementadenied the vergence with the extion of the programme benefits of isting Gopabandhu will transform healthAyushman Jan Arogya Yojana care needs of the Bharat by the (GJAY) of Odisha govpeople. previous er nment. Over 1.03 “Ayushman Bharat, government crore families of the the largest health asNarendra Modi, state will be covered surance scheme in the Prime Minister under the converged world, is fully digitised scheme with 67.8 lakh and covers approxifamilies supported by the cen- mately 45 per cent of India’s tral government. Odisha is the population. Further, the Ay34th among state and UTs to ushman Vay Vandana Card implement the scheme which launched in October last year will provide a cover of `5 lakh by Prime Minister Modi will per family per annum with ad- benefit more than 6 crore peoditional `5 lakh for women ple aged 70 years and above,” CONTINUED ON P5 members. he said. F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar MAHA KUMBH OPENS EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ Bhubaneswar Devotees at the Ganga in Prayagraj. The Maha Kumbh commenced on Monday after a gap of 12 years | PTI | P8 PA R A M I TA G H O S H @ Prayagraj E ARLY in the morning at the Kumbh, Vedic chants and Ram bhajans can be heard from every direction, as the faithful, towels on shoulders, make their way to the banks of the Ganga for a holy dip. This morning, a light fog sits above the water; by mid-morning, it is all clear as if it were the fog of unreason. As the first light of dawn broke over the Sangam on Monday a sea of devotees, un, deterred by the chilly breeze and cold waters of the Ganga took the holy dip on ‘Paush Purnima’, marking the com- mencement of Maha Kumbh 2025. More than 1.5 crore pilgrims took the dip on Monday , the UP government said. For octogenarian Bhabani Bhowmik, a retired schoolteacher from Siliguri, the dip was a transformative experience. “I took Ganga ji’s name and when I came out, I felt no chill,” she says. As the day unfolds, the rhythms of the Kumbh come alive. Boatman Nandkumar, from a neighbouring district, gazes longingly at the Sangam, hoping to bag a permit to ferry passengers. Brothers Gopal and Amit Mishra, meanwhile, tend to the spiritual needs of the bathers, applying sandalwood mark on their foreheads. EXPRESS READ 2 dead, 5 injured as car rams pick-up truck on NH-16 in capital city Officials exchange the MoU as CM Mohan Majhi, Union min JP Nadda look on| EXPRESS ` sinks further, hits all-time low B E N N K O C H U V E E D A N @ Mumbai THE rupee on Monday logged its steepest singleday decline of 58 paise (0.67%) in nearly two years, closing the session at a historic low of 86.62 to the dollar. The fall is attributed to the stronger American currency surging crude prices, , and the volatility in the equity markets. The last time the Indian currency took such a plunge was on February 6, 2023 when it shed 68 paise. The latest decline also suggests that the Reserve Bank of India’s measures to arrest the rupee fall may not be as effective as they should be. Since March 2024, the banking regulator had sold over $115 billion to prop up the local currency . In October alone, RBI sold a whopping $38 billion. According to traders and currency analysts this newspaper spoke to, the unprecedented fall is due to the high demand for the dollar, which also led to a massive withdrawal of foreign capital from equities. Since October, foreign funds have pulled out close to `2 lakh crore from equities. “The risk averse sentiment across the globe ahead of Donald Trump taking charge as the 47th President of the US and worries over higher inflation can further weigh on the rupee,” said Dilip Parmar, senior currency analyst at P10 HDFC Securities. Bhubaneswar: Two persons were killed and at least five others injured when a SUV jumped the divider, hit a pedestrian and then rammed into a light commercial vehicle on the opposite side of the National Highway-16 under Janla police outpost here on Monday afternoon. The pedestrian and a person travelling in the pick-up truck were killed on the spot | P3 In this vast, swirling tapestry of humanity, individuals from all walks of life converge, each with their own story of spiritual seeking. Sabra, a Brazilian seeker, says, “I was born into a Catholic family but did not practice , it. For the last year, I’ve been chanting and getting my faith back.” Out of the blue, the bhule bhatkey shivir (lost-and-found camp) where a human being reinforces his faith in another, springs to life. A mother looks for her son, another seeks her ‘Sushila mausi’, and a stranger appeals to an Ashokda to return. As the day wears on, these names are replaced by others. Omar heaps praise on PM, thanks him for fair polls INAUGURATING the strategic 6.4-km Z-Morh tunnel in Sonamarg, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he will keep promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, an apparent reference to the demand for the restoration of statehood voiced strongly by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. “There is a time for every work. And the right work is going to happen at the right time,” Modi said. In his address, Abdullah, whose National Conference party is a member of the Opposition INDIA bloc, heaped praise on Modi, saying his heart says the PM would soon fulfill the promise of restoring statehood to J&K. Omar’s statement comes days after he wondered if the INDIA bloc should be wound up if it was cobbled together only for the Lok Sabha polls. “My people, my cabinet colleagues and media ask me when will J&K get statehood again. I tell them the PM fulfilled his promise to hold elections in four months and my Narendra Modi (2nd from left) after inaugurating Z-Morh tunnel | PTI heart says that he would also fulfil his promise to restore J&K statehood,” he said. He also credited Modi for fair elections in J&K. “Not a single polling station needed re-polling. The credit for this goes to you, your associates and Election Commission,” he said. Through these infra projects, the PM kept his promise to bridge ‘Dil ki doori and Delhi ki Doori’ (distance between hearts and Delhi), he added.