SAMAJWEEKLY = 453 13-05-2022

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Karachi : The Pakistani
rupee on Thursday broke all
previous records against the
US dollar and dropped to an
all-time low of Rs191.77 in
the interbank market, media
reports said. The local currency
lost Rs 1.7 (or 0.91 per
cent) during the day to close
at Rs 191.77, surpassing
Wednesday's record low of
Rs 188.66, The News reported.
Dried-up foreign currency
inflows, coupled with a
delay in the revival of the
International Monetary
Fund (IMF) bailout and a
lack of financial support
from friendly countries, are
adding to the pressure on the
local currency.
The decline was in line
with the predictions of the
analysts who fear more losses
down the road as the
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Pakistani rupee hits
new all-time low
2024 LS polls: Bengal to
be epicentre of RSS'
expansion plans in NE
Kolkata : Understanding that
having a formidable performance
in West Bengal and the
northeastern states will be key to
ensuring the third term of
Narendra Modi as the Prime
Minister, the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is
planning to recruit 35,000
swayamsevaks (volunteers) in
the northeast, making Bengal the
epicentre of such activities.
Keshav Bhawan, the RSS
office in Kolkata, will be the
nodal office for West Bengal and
the northeastern states in this
recruitment drive.
Meanwhile, the BJP central
leadership is also focussing on
West Bengal. Within a month of
Union Home Minister Amit
Shah's visit to West Bengal, BJP
President JP Nadda is expected
to come to the state and hold
meetings with the party's state
functionaries on how to go about
for the state panchayat polls in
2023 and Lok Sabha polls in
2024. BJP's Vice-president and
party MP Dilip Ghosh
confirmed that JP Nadda
will visit the state either
by the end of May or in
the first week of June.
"His visit is confirmed.
The final day of his visit
will be informed to us
shortly," Ghosh said.
A veteran RSS associate
told IANS on the condition
of anonymity that the recruitment
of 35,000 swayamsevaks
will be done in phases. "After
the recruitment, these swayamsevaks
will be trained and educated
about the style and pattern
of functioning of RSS, before
being finally fielded for undertaking
organisational activities.
We expect the recruitment
process to be over within the
next six months," he said.
With regards to special focus
on West Bengal, he said that the
prime target is to identify and
reopen RSS branches that have
shut operations. "Many of our
operating branches were closed
down during the last few years
first because of pressure from
the ruling Trinamool Congress,
and second because of the
Covid-19 pandemic. So, besides
recruitment of fresh swayamsevaks
in the state, our target is to
reopen as many closed branches
as possible and as early as possible,"
the RSS associate said.
country remains mired in
political and economic instability,
The News reported. A
day earlier, the rupee surpassed
the critical threshold
of 190 amid a persistent
decline in the foreign
exchange reserves due to
hefty current account and
trade deficits, and higher
debt payments. Since the
beginning of this fiscal year
(July 1, 2021) to date, the
rupee has collectively
dropped by a massive 21.72
per cent (or Rs 34.23) compared
to the previous fiscal
year's close at Rs 157.54.
The rupee has maintained
a downward trend for the
last 13 months. It has lost
25.94 per cent (or Rs 39.5)
to date, compared to the
record high of Rs 152.27
recorded in May 2021.
Moreover, political unrest
owing to PTI's protest campaign
against the government
is eclipsing the new
economic team's focus on
economic firefighting.
Former Prime Minister
Imran Khan has announced
to march with millions of his
supporters towards
Islamabad after May 20 to
demand new elections to add
to the troubles of the economically-challenged
PML-
N led regime, The News
reported.
Kathmandu : Indian
climber Baljeet Kaul has
climbed her second 8000m
mountain Kanchenjunga, the
world's third highest peak on
Thursday morning just within
two weeks, according to a
media report.
Baljeet Kaur, from
Himachal Pradesh summited
Mt. Kanchenjunga at 04.20
a.m. with her guide Mingma
Sherpa, said Pasang Sherpa
of Peak Promotion Pvt Ltd,
according to Himalayan
Times Daily. "She has
arrived at Camp III and is
now descending as she is
expected to arrive at the base
camp today evening,"
Sherpa said.
She has also climbed Mt.
Annapurna I on April 28,
2022. This is her second
8000m+ mountain this season,
according to Sherpa.
"This season, she is attempting
Everest and Lhotse as
well," he added.
Meanwhile, a climbing
guide, who was suffering
from severe high altitude
sickness, died while undergoing
treatment in
Kathmandu on Thursday
morning. Dipak Mahat from,
who fell ill at Camp II on Mt
Everest on Monday, was
evacuated to Kathmandu for
treatment on Tuesday morning,
according to the local
hospital authorities in
13/05/2022
37
Indian climber climbs two
peaks within two weeks
Kathmandu.
Doctors attending Mahat
at the Kathmandu-based
HAMS hospital pronounced
him dead on Thursday
morning, according to the
expedition organizer.
This season, three
climbers, including a foreigner,
have already died in
the Everest region. A woman
climber scaled the world's
highest peak, becoming the
first Nepali female doctor to
successfully scale Mt
Everest this season.