Cyclone Dana impact likely to be less than 2020’s Amphan in Bengal

Cyclone Dana Impact Likely To Be Less Than 2020’s Amphan In Bengal

by Utkalika Mohanty

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

The impact of Cyclone Dana on West Bengal is unlikely to be anywhere near the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan in 2020, which was the strongest after the 1999 Odisha Cyclone, said officials from the Regional Meteorological Office in Kolkata.

Kolkata, Oct 23: The impact of Cyclone Dana on West Bengal is unlikely to be anywhere near the devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan in 2020, which was the strongest after the 1999 Odisha Cyclone, said officials from the Regional Meteorological Office in Kolkata.

As per the latest information available, Cyclone Dana currently exists at a place somewhat between 560 kilometres from Paradeep in Odisha, less than 700 km from Sagar Islands in West Bengal and Khepupara in Bangladesh.

As per predictions from the said office, Cyclone Dana is likely to make landfall sometime between 11 p.m. on Thursday and 5 a.m. on Friday at a place between Puri in Odisha and Sagar Islands in South 24 Parganas district in West Bengal.

Officials from the meteorological office said that since its formation, Cyclone Dana has slowly started becoming powerful. Already dark clouds have covered the skies in different coastal areas of West Bengal. The sky is also cloudy in the state capital of Kolkata.

Red and Orange alerts have been issued in certain districts in South Bengal, especially in the coastal district, for the next two days, where heavy rainfall has been predicted.

As per the Meteorological office prediction, after the landfall, the wind speed at the coastal areas of West Bengal is likely to be around 120 km an hour, and in Kolkata, the maximum wind speed is expected to be around 80 km an hour at that point of time.

The office has also cautioned about the possible impact on the communication system by the landfall. The other likely impacts will be on the embankments in the Sunderbans area in South 24 Parganas district, harvestable crops on the farmlands in certain districts in South Bengal and collapse of mud-houses or shanties, among others.

The three coastal districts of East Midnapore, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas are expected to witness maximum and most heavy rainfall as an impact of the landfall of Cyclone Dana.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has announced precautionary measures given the looming crisis. The educational institutions in nine districts of South Bengal are closed from October 23 to October 25. State-level and district-level control rooms have been opened.

The fishermen are being barred from going to the deep sea. The district administrations have been asked to shift the people residing in the low-lying areas to safer places.

--IANS

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Sensex Ends Lower, Market Trend Remains Positive

by Utkalika Mohanty

Mumbai, Oct 23: The Indian stock market closed marginally low on Wednesday as selling was seen in auto, pharma, and metal sectors.

The Sensex closed at 80,081.98 after falling 138.74 points or 0.17 per cent. At the same time, Nifty closed at 24,435.50 after falling 36.60 points or 0.15 per cent.

The Nifty Midcap 100 index closed at 56,533.55 after rising 359.50 points or 0.64 per cent at the end of trading. The Nifty Smallcap 100 index closed at 18,286.20 after rising 225.20 points or 1.25 per cent. Nifty Bank closed at 51,239.00 after falling 18.15 points or 0.04 per cent.

Selling was seen in the auto, pharma, metal, realty, energy, private bank, infra, and commodities sectors of Nifty. At the same time, buying was seen in IT, PSU bank, financial services, FMCG sector, and media.

However, the market trend remained positive. On the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), 2,189 shares were trading in the green and 1,743 shares in the red, while 99 shares closed without any change.

Bajaj Finance, Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, HDFC Bank, Infosys, TCS, Bajaj Finserv, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Maruti were the top gainers in the Sensex pack. At the same time, M&M, Sun Pharma, Powergrid, L&T, NTPC, Axis Bank, and Titan were the top losers.

Bajaj Finance, Tech Mahindra, Bajaj Auto, Tata Consumer, TCS, HDFC Bank, HCL Tech, Coal India, and Infosys were the top gainers in the Nifty pack. Meanwhile, M&M, Sun Pharma, Eicher Motors, L&T, Shriram Finance, and NTPC were the top losers.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold shares worth Rs 3,978 crore on Tuesday, while domestic institutional investors bought shares worth Rs 5,869 crore on the same day.

The rupee remained flat at nearly 84.07 as the dollar strengthened.

“Crude prices showed slight weakness, but foreign institutional investors (FIIs) continued to sell in Indian markets, maintaining pressure on the rupee,” said market experts.

Nifty witnessed a volatile day of trade. It swung in both directions and ultimately closed in the negative down 37 points.

Nifty pulled back however it was sold indicating inability to hold at higher levels. Daily as well as hourly momentum indicators have a negative crossover which is a sell signal, said experts.

--IANS

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Dharmendra Pradhan Addresses Australian International Education Conference

by Hemanta Pande

Melbourne, Oct 23: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan delivered the plenary speech at the Australian International Education Conference in Melbourne, Australia, today.

Delivered the plenary at the Australian International Education Conference.

Spoke about how NEP 2020 has transformed India’s learning landscape into a powerhouse of possibilities, the enduring India-Australia ties and the remarkable strides made in education cooperation powered… https://t.co/tsBKKFcxab pic.twitter.com/wGTeICAOLP — Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) October 23, 2024

Pradhan in his speech commended the strong and evolving partnership between India and Australia that ties the history of the two countries and will also pave the way for a brighter future together.

The Minister also reaffirmed the further strengthening of these ties under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese.

Pradhan also highlighted that in the 4th Industrial Revolution, education must prepare students to be creators and managers of technology. India’s National Education Policy provides a framework emphasising digital literacy, soft skills, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary studies to adapt to evolving job markets, he added.

The Minister emphasized that cooperation in education is the fulcrum of the India-Australia relationship. He stated that the main objective is to enhance India's education system into a competency-based framework, focusing on skills-based education as outlined in India’s National Education Policy (NEP).

Pradhan also spoke about how NEP 2020 has transformed India’s learning landscape into a powerhouse of possibilities, the enduring India-Australia ties and the remarkable strides made in education cooperation powered by NEP 2020. The establishment of Australian university campuses in India is just the beginning, with much more potential to be realized, he added.

He also added that together, the countries can advance knowledge, leverage technology for global challenges, and create endless opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship for the students.

The Minister also expressed that as a ‘Vishwa-Bandhu’, India is committed to being a trusted partner in human-centric development. The idea is to build and nurture global citizens, contributing to a brighter future for the next generation, he said.

Pradhan also held a Bilateral Meeting with his counterpart Minister for Education, Government of Australia, Jason Clare MP.

Members of the Indian delegation, heads of the universities of both countries, and other dignitaries were also present at the event.

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Cyclone Dana: Fishermen Advised Not To Go Into Odisha's Chilika Lake Till Oct 26

by Utkalika Mohanty

Khordha, Oct 23: With Cyclone Dana approaching Odisha and predicted to make landfall in the early hours of October 25, the state government has made elaborate arrangements to counter the effects of cyclone.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Odisha and Gangetic West Bengal from October 24 to 26 at isolated places over Baleswar, Mayurbhanj, Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Jagatsingpur Kendujhar, Jajpur, Cuttack and Dhenkanal, Khorda and Puri districts of the state.

Khorda District Fisheries Officer (Biology and Technology) spoke about preparations taken by the government.

Manoranjan Dash, District Fisheries Officer (Biology and Technology), said that fisherfolk have been advised to not venture out into the sea.

"We have informed all the fishermen regarding cyclone guidelines of Odisha government. They have been advised not go inside Chilika Lake till October 26," he said.

According to IMD, the cyclone Dana is very likely to move northwestwards and intensify into a severe cyclonic storm over northwest Bay of Bengal by early morning of October 24 and cross north Odisha and West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island close to Bhitarkanika and Dhamara (Odisha) during night of October 24 to morning of October 25 as a severe Cyclonic Storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph gusting 120 kmph.

Balugaon NAC (Notified Area Council) Executive officer spoke to ANI about the preparedness by Khordha District Magistrate and House and Urban Development Department.

Balugaon NAC Executive officer Pran Nath Seth said are taking all possible measure to tackle the impact of cyclone Dana.

"As per the direction of Khordha Distrct Magistrate and House and Urban Development Department we have taken every possible measure to tackle cyclone Dana. We are warning all the people not to visit Chilika during the cyclone. We have cleaned all drains to avoid waterlogging. We are ready to face the cyclone", he said.

The Assistant Register Cooperative Society (ARCS) of Chilika said the safety of the fishermen society is important to the state government.

ARCS of Chilika, Udayakar Behera said, "We have alerted all the fishermen in the society by writing to them that they should avoid going to Chilika Lake during the cyclone. The safety of fishermen is our top priority....", he said.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams in both Odisha and West Bengal have been put on standby. Additionally, rescue and relief teams from the Army, Navy and the Coast Guard have been placed on high alert.

(ANI)

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Cyclone Dana impact likely to be less than 2020’s Amphan in Bengal

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