maximum space debris from pslv rockets, most in low earth orbit 35,000 trackable debris objects are currently in spa ce worldwide chennai l saturday l march 21, 2026 l `9.00 l PAGES 22 l late city EDITION As of March, 129 space debris originating from Indian satellite missions are in orbit, mostly from PSLV rockets, Parliament was informed Expert studies in place for mission As a step to achieve zero debris mission, ISRO has institutionalised the process to ensure extra fuel margins for both spacecraft and launch vehicles, during mission design and project initialisation phase Studies are on for robotic arm, rendezvous, proximity operations that are precursors to active debris removal 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 Steepest single-day Nat’l Dental Commn replaces DCI rupee dive in 4 years K a v i ta B a j e l i - D at t @ New Delhi Import costs may soar as currency falls 82 paise over Iran conflict B ENN K O C H U VEEDAN @ Mumbai The rupee on Friday logged its steepest single-day decline in four years, closing at a record low of 93.71 against the dollar, down 82 paise, as escalating tensions in West Asia kept crude oil prices elevated. The currency opened at 93.15 and remained under pressure through the session. During intraday trading, it weakened 1.1% to touch 93.7350 (down 103 paise), breaching its previous record low of 92.63 hit earlier this week. The rupee eventually settled at 93.71, marking a weekly decline of about 1.3%— the sharpest since late 2022. With this, the rupee has earned the dubious distinction of being the worst-performing currency in Asia, depreciating over 5.5% so far this year. Over the past year, the currency has weakened by around 8% against the dollar compared with an average annual fall of 4.2% in recent years. The continued slide poses risks to India’s macroeconomic goals, including its ambition to become a $5-trillion economy . A weaker rupee raises the cost of imports across the board, not just crude oil. India imports nearly 85% of its crude oil and over 60% of its natural gas requirements, making it particularly vulnerable to currency depreciation. According to RBI estimates, ‘Re may breach 95-mark’ Rupee vs Dollar 92.28 (+2p) 92.25 (-24p) 92.30 (-5p) day 21 92.40 (-12p) 92.89 (-49p) 93.71* (-82p) March 12 March 13 March 16 March 17 March 18 March 20 *Provisional (Inverted Scale) Premium petrol, industrial diesel prices increased Oil marketing companies (OMCs) on Friday raised premium petrol prices by up to `2.35 per litre. The hike applies only to premium variants such as BPCL’s Speed, HPCL’s Power fuel and Indian Oil’s XP95. OMCs have also raised bulk diesel prices for industrial users by `22 a litre. In Delhi, bulk diesel prices have risen from `87.67 to `109.59 per litre a $10 per barrel rise in crude prices pushes up inflation by 30 basis points. Crude is currently trading above $110 per barrel. Saudi Arabia’s internal projections reportedly show crude oil With no signs of ease in the West Asia conflict, the rupee remains vulnerable. Several global brokerages, including Goldman Sachs and UBS, expect the Indian currency to weaken further and breach the 95-mark in the near term could touch $180 per barrel if the war goes on till late April. The combination of a depreciating rupee and elevated crude prices could fuel imported inflation in fuel and commodities, raise input costs for businesses, and increase the burden on consumers. Adding further pressure on rupee, foreign portfolio investors pulled out $8 billion from Indian equities this month. Equity markets, however, showed resilience. After a sharp fall of 3% on Thursday, the Sensex and Nifty recovered modestly on Friday . IN a major reform aimed at improving the quality of dental education and aligning it with global standards, the Centre on Friday announced the constitution of the National Dental Commission (NDC). To support the functioning of the Commission, three autonomous bodies have also been constituted. The Commission will introduce essential and long-overdue regulatory reforms in dental education, and enhance access to affordable oral healthcare across the country . The notifications in this regard were issued on March 19. The NDC framework will now replace the Dental Council of India (DCI), which regulated dental education and profession throughout the country. The new Commission has come into effect from March 19. The Commission will frame regulations to implement the provisions of the Act; will conduct rating and assessment of dental institutions; evaluate human resources and promote dental research; frame guidelines for fee regulation in private dental colleges; and establish standards for community dental care, education, research, and professional ethics. “This historic reform marks a decisive shift towards a regulatory framework that is transparent, quality-driven, and accountable; replacing the earlier elected structure,” the Union Health Ministry said in a statement. E x p r ess Re a d 8 killed as TN bus enters wrong lane Avian flu kills 40 birds; Guindy kids’ park shut SALEM: Eight people, including a baby and a pregnant woman, were killed after the driver lost control of a government bus due to a suspected brake failure. The vehicle veered into the opposite lane, rammed two oncoming vehicles at Ariyanoor on the Coimbatore-Salem NH on Friday. Six of the eleven of a family, who were travelling for a function in a mini truck, died | P7 CHENNAI: An outbreak of avian influenza claimed the lives of around 40 birds of multiple species last week inside the Guindy Children’s Park, prompting authorities to shut the facility to visitors from Friday until further notice. While the risk to visitors is considered low, authorities are still keeping a close watch on wild and migratory bird activity in and around the park | P3 Assembly elections NDA deal in four days: EPS after shah meet I P4 Stalin: aiadmk’s move proves poll fight is between tn & Delhi I P4 Key mandate of NDC The commission will frame rules, conduct rating and assessment of dental institutions. It will evaluate human resources and promote dental research, frame guidelines for fee regulation in private dental colleges and establish standards for ethics T h e t h re e a u t o n o m o u s boards are — Undergraduate and Postgraduate Dental Education Board, which will oversee dental education; Dental Assessment and Rating Board, which will regulate accreditation and institutional assessment; and the Ethics and Dental Registration Board, which will govern professional con- duct and re gistration of dentists. Dr Sanjay Tewari has been appointed as the Chairperson of the Commission, while Dr. Mousumi Goswami will be a part-time member. Dr Chandrashekhar Janakiram has been appointed as the president of the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Dental Education Board. Dr. Shailesh Madhav Lele will be the whole time member. Lt Gen (Retd) Nanda Kishore Sahoo is the president of the Dental Assessment and Rating Board while Dr Himanshu Aeran is a whole time member. Lt Gen (Retd) Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay has been appointed as the whole time member of the Ethics and Dental Registration Board. Arindam Modak will head the Secretariat as Secretary to the NDC. CJI recuses from hearing plea on panel picking CEC U d aya n K i s h o r e @ New Delhi Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Friday recused himself from hearing a batch of petitions challenging a 2023 law that removed the CJI from a committee mandated to appoint the chief election commissioner to the poll panel, citing “conflict of interest”. The court was hearing a batch of PILs challenging the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act. The CJI said it would be appropriate for the case to be listed before a bench where no judge was in line to become the chief justice. Else, “I will be accused of conflict of interest,” the CJI said. The December 2023 law came months after SC ruled that a panel comprising the PM, Oppn leader, and CJI appoint ECs.