<ul><li>The seventh <keyword id="16414456" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Operation-Dost" source="Orion">Operation Dost</keyword> flight reached earthquake-hit <keyword id="6354913" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Syria" source="Orion">Syria</keyword> on Sunday with over 23 tons of relief material.</li><li>The Indian Air Force C17 carrying relief material, medical aid, emergency and critical care medicines, medical equipment and consumables took off from Hindon Airbase in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.</li><li>The death toll across <keyword id="6372909" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Turkey" source="Orion">Turkey</keyword> and Syria following Monday's earthquake reached 28,192 on Saturday.</li></ul>The seventh Operation Dost flight reached earthquake-hit Syria on Sunday with over 23 tons of relief material which was received by Deputy Minister of Local Administration &amp; Environment Moutaz Douaji at Damascus airport. "7th #OperationDost flight reached Syria with over 23 tons of relief material, including gensets, solar lamps, emergency &amp; critical care medicines, &amp; disaster relief consumables. Received at Damascus airport by Deputy Minister of Local Administration and Environment Moutaz Douaji," tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. The seventh Operation Dost flight on Saturday departed for earthquake-hit Syria and Turkey. The Indian Air Force C17 carrying relief material, medical aid, emergency and critical care medicines, medical equipment and consumables took off from Hindon Airbase in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad. The IAF aircraft with relief materials, medical aid, and emergency and critical care medicines will first land in Syria and unload materials and then head to Turkey. EAM S Jaishankar also took to his Twitter handle to talk about the flight departing from Ghaziabad. He tweeted, "The 7th #OperationDost flight departs for Syria and <keyword id="12781856" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Turkiye" source="Orion">Turkiye</keyword>. Flight is carrying relief material, medical aid, emergency &amp; critical care medicines, medical equipment &amp; consumables." The Indian Army also tweeted, "An #IAF C-17 aircraft got airborne last night for #Syria and #Turkiye, bearing relief material and emergency equipment." The Ministry of External Affairs said that the earthquake relief material and equipment were sent to Syria and Turkey. The flight is headed to Damascus and after offloading relief material there, it will head to Adana. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the flight is carrying more than 35 tons of relief material, of which over 23 tons is headed for relief efforts in Syria, and around 12 tons to Turkey. The assistance being sent for Syria comprises relief materials, sleeping mats, gensets, solar lamps, tarpaulins, blankets, emergency and critical care medicines, and disaster relief consumables, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The material being sent to Turkey consists of team supplies for the Army field hospital and NDRF, medical equipment such as ECG, patient monitor, anaesthesia machine, syringe pumps, glucometer, blankets and other relief materials. Earlier in the day, the relief material, medical equipment, medical aid, and critical care medicines were being loaded into the IAF aircraft. On February 06, 2023, a devastating earthquake happened in Turkey and Syria. The death toll across Turkey and Syria following Monday's earthquake reached 28,192 on Saturday (local time), reported CNN. India launched Operation Dost to extend assistance to Turkey as well as Syria after devastating quakes and aftershocks in the region. Under 'Operation Dost', India is sending a massive amount of humanitarian aid to Turkey and Syria. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/direct-tax-collections-fy-2022-23-records-growth-at-15-67-lakh-cr/articleshow/97821630.cms">Direct Tax Collections (FY 2022-23) records growth at ₹15.67 lakh cr</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/poet-amjad-islam-amjad-passes-away-at-78-adnan-sami-pays-condolences/articleshow/97815855.cms">Poet Amjad Islam Amjad who wrote Man Ki Lagan, passes away at 78</a>

Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material

The advance booking of <keyword id="359760" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="marvel-studios" source="Orion">Marvel Studios</keyword>' latest title "<keyword id="12343077" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ant-Man-and-The-Wasp-Quantumania" source="Orion">Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania</keyword>" has opened in India. The official Twitter page of <keyword id="47501" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="marvel" source="Orion">Marvel</keyword> Studios India shared the announcement on Sunday. "Giving you the one thing you want the most - Advance bookings for Ant-Man &amp; The Wasp: Quantumania are now open!" the post read. Viewers can book tickets for the film, headlined by <keyword id="334778" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="paul-rudd" source="Orion">Paul Rudd</keyword> as Ant-Man and Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp, via BookMyShow and Paytm, according to the tweet. Directed by Peyton Reed, "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania" marks the beginning of the Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Superhero partners <keyword id="2806800" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="scott-lang" source="Orion">Scott Lang</keyword> (Rudd) and Hope <keyword id="14562937" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="van-dyne" source="Orion">Van Dyne</keyword> (Lilly) return to continue their adventures as Ant-Man and the Wasp. Together, with Hope's parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the family finds themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible. Jonathan Majors joins the movie as Kang the Conqueror. Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard are credited as producers on the film. "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania" will hit Indian screens on February 17 in English, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meta-planning-a-fresh-round-of-layoffs-in-year-of-efficiency-says-a-financial-times-report/articleshow/97802692.cms">Meta planning a fresh round of layoffs in 'year of efficiency', says FT report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/seventh-operation-dost-flight-reaches-earthquake-hit-syria-with-over-23-tons-of-relief-material/articleshow/97835516.cms">Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a>

Advance booking open for 'Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania'

<keyword id="6354306" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="puducherry" source="Orion">Puducherry</keyword>, The Agriculture institute in Karaikal, Puducherry has developed a new <keyword id="13726" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rice" source="Orion">rice</keyword> variety that can tolerate floods. The rice variety was developed with the support of the Department of Biotechnology, Central government. The rice variety, KKL(R)2 was developed by a team of researchers led by Dr. S. Thirumeni, Head of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru College of Agriculture and Research Institute. During samba/thalady season, the paddy crop is affected in rain and short-term submergence leads to the destruction of these crops. The institute has been working on the development of water submergence-tolerant rice varieties. Dr S. Thirumeni told IANS, "The new variety KKL(R)2 was developed by crossing ADT 46 and Swarna Sub 1 through the 'Marker Assisted Backcross Method' three times." He also said that the new rice variety matures in 135 days and is suitable for the Samba season. The scientist said that this rice variety is tolerant to flash floods and submergence for a period of 14 days during the tillering stage. Dr Thirumeni and his team told IANS that the average grain yield of KKL(R) 2 is 6,850 kg per hectare under normal circumstances but under submerged conditions, it can give a yield of 3,600 kg per hectare. KKL( R) 2 is the first rice Puducherry rice variety that is recommended for release by Central Variety Release Committee (CVRC). Scientists also said that this rice variety is moderately resistant to pets including brown plant hopper, white-backed brown hopper, and blast and brown spot. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meta-planning-a-fresh-round-of-layoffs-in-year-of-efficiency-says-a-financial-times-report/articleshow/97802692.cms">Meta planning a fresh round of layoffs in 'year of efficiency', says FT report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/seventh-operation-dost-flight-reaches-earthquake-hit-syria-with-over-23-tons-of-relief-material/articleshow/97835516.cms">Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a>

Puducherry scientists develop flood-resistant rice variety

The death toll across <keyword id="6372909" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="turkey" source="Orion">Turkey</keyword> and <keyword id="6354913" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="syria" source="Orion">Syria</keyword> following Monday's <keyword id="6362774" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="earthquake" source="Orion">earthquake</keyword> reached 28,192 on Saturday (local time), reported CNN. Turkey's death toll climbed to 24,617, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said in a news conference. In Syria, the total number of confirmed deaths stands at 3,575, including 2,167 in rebel-held areas in the northwest, according to the White Helmets civil defence group. An additional 1,408 deaths have been recorded in government-controlled territories, according to Syrian state media, which cited the country's health ministry. Meanwhile, An Indian national missing since the earthquake in Turkey on February 6 was found dead under the debris of a hotel in Malatya, the Indian Embassy in Turkey informed in a tweet on Saturday. The deceased, identified as Vijay Kumar, was on a business trip to Turkey. "We received a report yesterday that his luggage and passport were found but there wasn't a body. We were hoping for his well-being, that he would have escaped. His father had passed away around a month back and now this has happened," said Gaurav Kala, a relative of Vijay Kumar. Kumar's family members were in deep shock as they learned of the tragic news. They cried inconsolably. He is survived by his mother, wife, and six-year-old child. He had lost his father about one and a half months back. "We received a call from Embassy in the afternoon. They wanted confirmation for identification, so we told them about a mark on the left hand. He worked in a company in Bengaluru &amp; left from here on 22nd Jan. He was scheduled to return on 20th Feb, said Kala. The Indian Embassy in Turkey informed on Saturday that the mortal remains of Kumar have been found. "We inform you with sorrow that the mortal remains of Shri Vijay Kumar, an Indian national missing in Turkiye since the February 6 earthquake, have been found and identified among the debris of a hotel in Malatya, where he was on a business trip," the Embassy said in a tweet. "Our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. We are making arrangements for the earliest possible transportation of his mortal remains to his family," it added. Ministry of External Affairs had said earlier this month that ten Indians were struck in remote parts of Turkey after the country was hit by two "biggest natural disaster" earthquakes. Still, they are safe while one citizen is missing. "There are 10 individuals who are stuck in some remote parts of the affected area but they are safe. We have one Indian national missing, on a business visit to Turkey's Malatya. And he has not been traced for the last two days. We are in touch with his family and the company in Bengaluru," Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs, had said at a media briefing on 'Operation Dost.' SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/direct-tax-collections-fy-2022-23-records-growth-at-15-67-lakh-cr/articleshow/97821630.cms">Direct Tax Collections (FY 2022-23) records growth at ₹15.67 lakh cr</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/poet-amjad-islam-amjad-passes-away-at-78-adnan-sami-pays-condolences/articleshow/97815855.cms">Poet Amjad Islam Amjad who wrote Man Ki Lagan, passes away at 78</a>

Earthquake death toll surpasses 28,000 in Turkey and Syria

A resident of <keyword id="1158976" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pipra-village" source="Orion">Pipra village</keyword> in Bihar's West Champaran district has taken a vow to remain unmarried for environmental protection, similar to '<keyword id="105415" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="bhishma" source="Orion">Bhishma</keyword>' in 'Dvapara yuga' (in Hinduism, an age believed to be the best of the four yugas) took a vow of lifelong celibacy for his father's happiness. <keyword id="4791527" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gajendra-Yadav" source="Orion">Gajendra Yadav</keyword>, of Pipra village under Narwal Borwal Panchayat of Bagaha block, has planted about eight lakh saplings so far. Yadav considers the trees his family and celebrates major festivals such as Dussehra, Diwali and Raksha Bandhan with them. In a conversation with IANS, Yadav apprised that he is the eldest of four siblings and all of them are married. He said he gets worried if his trees are harmed. Yadav talked about how he was listening to the radio in his teens, wherein in a programme it was said that the environment would become unbalanced in the absence of trees, threatening all life on earth due to lack of oxygen. Yadav changed the course of his life after that episode and dedicated himself to protecting the environment. Marriage proposals started coming in for the modern day 'Bhishma' when he reached the suitable age, but Yadav stood firm on his ground and remained dedicated to his work. Yadav mentioned how he once met Vikas Vaibhav, an IPS officer who was posted in Bagaha as the Superintendent of Police. Yadav invited the SP to the banks of Semarkol Tirhut canal of the panchayat, which was known for being an area where crimes like rape, murder and theft were common. Vaibhav planted a mango tree in the area to spread the message of peace and harmony. Yadav said that his work intensified after getting inspired by this gesture and he now spends his entire day in serving the trees. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi honoured Yadav in Patna and were impressed by his commendable work and dedication towards tree plantation. Yadav apprised that he has been indulging in the work since 2003 and has planted about eight lakh saplings so far, most of which include Banyan, Peepal, Pakad and Neem as they provide shelter to birds and small animals, along with preventing soil erosion during floods. These trees live long and provide ample oxygen to humans. Yadav's use of empty spaces on embankments, canals, roads, school premises and outskirts of villages to plant trees has won him wide acclaim. He said that he prepares the saplings himself and has a team of 100 youths who help him in the process. Adding that, he keeps an eye out for woodcutters, who are mostly released by the police after they admit to their action. Yadav said that FIRs are registered against the ones who do not admit their mistake. While speaking of his upcoming plans, Yadav said that he would stick to his routine as long as his body allows him to. Sakina Khatoon, head of Narwal Borwal Panchayat, also praised Yadav's work and said that he is spreading the message of protecting the environment and motivating youths to do the same. She added that greenery could be seen everywhere in the village because of Yadav's efforts. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meta-planning-a-fresh-round-of-layoffs-in-year-of-efficiency-says-a-financial-times-report/articleshow/97802692.cms">Meta planning a fresh round of layoffs in 'year of efficiency', says FT report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/seventh-operation-dost-flight-reaches-earthquake-hit-syria-with-over-23-tons-of-relief-material/articleshow/97835516.cms">Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a>

Staying single for a greener planet, Bihar's 'Bhishma' plants over 8 lakh trees

For the third consecutive year, <keyword id="6355117" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="south-africa" source="Orion">South Africa</keyword>n Tourism finished another extremely successful partnership with South Asia's premier travel exhibition, SATTE 2023. At the 30th edition of the trade expo, which was hosted at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida in Delhi NCR from February 9-11, the tourism board promoted South Africa as a travel destination. South Africa became one of the top tourist destinations for Indin 2022 as a result of its strong recovery efforts and desire to promote a variety of genuine destination options through the More&amp;More campaign. The Rainbow nation considerably surpassed its aim of bringing 33,900 or more visitors established at the beginning of the recovery year by receiving close to 50,000 Indian visitors last year through November. The tourism board wants to surpass last year's goal by 72 per cent this year. For Indian business partners from important regions including the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Limpopo, and Eastern Cape who are seeking profitable relationships, South African Tourism, along with 35 eminent exhibitors, presented creative and unique destination options. The carefully chosen offers, which catered to the interests of <keyword id="110519" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="indian-tourists" source="Orion">Indian tourists</keyword>, included luxury experiences, unusual activities, cutting-edge MICE infrastructure, as well as adventure, wildlife, and culinary pursuits. The annual trade expo aims to give local SMMEs, which are the backbone of the South African economy, a place to showcase their wide range of products. The show strengthened current commercial agreements with significant purchasers from India and South Africa and opened the door for the creation of a great deal more fruitful alliances in the near future. India has risen to become South Africa's sixth-largest foreign source market as the two countries commemorate their 30-year anniversary of diplomatic relations. One of the main drivers of the recovery has been the loosening of travel regulations following the pandemic, and this trend is still going strong. Additionally, South African Tourism expects a 35 per cent rise in MICE visitors in 2023. In an effort to capitalise on this momentum, the tourism board will also hold consumer events on February 11 and 12 at DLF Mall in Saket and between February 13 and 16 at roadshows in important Indian cities including Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Speaking about the association, <keyword id="11174357" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="neliswa-nkani" source="Orion">Neliswa Nkani</keyword>, Hub Head - Middle East, India and South East Asia, South African Tourism said, "This is our third consecutive collaboration with SATTE and we are extremely delighted by the response destination South Africa is receiving here. I would like to express my gratitude to the trade fraternity for their support which pushed us to achieve a 200 per cent increase in Indian arrivals to South Africa. With our evolved brand strategy and customized engagement models, we have managed to stay on top-of-mind of the consumers. We are already witnessing an uptick in forward bookings for the year, especially from groups of more than 6 pax and we intend to keep driving this momentum." "This association also comes in parallel with India and South Africa commemorating 30 years of bilateral relations and I am beyond grateful that I get to play a part in sustaining this much celebrated alliance between the two nations through travel," she continued. With enhanced connectivity, alluring travel deals, and a wide range of experiences available in South Africa, the country's tourism board is still optimistic that India will maintain its recovery trajectory and continue to be one of the source markets for travel to South Africa that is growing the fastest. Several airlines, including Emirates, <keyword id="109797" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="qatar-airways" source="Orion">Qatar Airways</keyword>, <keyword id="100277" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ethiopian-airlines" source="Orion">Ethiopian Airlines</keyword>, <keyword id="233331" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="kenya-airways" source="Orion">Kenya Airways</keyword>, and Air Seychelles, currently offer stopover flights between India and South Africa. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meta-planning-a-fresh-round-of-layoffs-in-year-of-efficiency-says-a-financial-times-report/articleshow/97802692.cms">Meta planning a fresh round of layoffs in 'year of efficiency', says FT report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/seventh-operation-dost-flight-reaches-earthquake-hit-syria-with-over-23-tons-of-relief-material/articleshow/97835516.cms">Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a>

South Africa witnesses over 200% surge in Indian travellers

<ul><li>Economists and public health experts have welcomed the duty hike on cigarettes in this year's budget and pitched for higher taxes.</li><li>The hike in national calamity contingent duty on cigarettes by 16% clearly shows the government's intent to further strengthen the tobacco control policy, say experts.</li><li>Sin products that claim more than 13 lakh lives in the country every year, said economist and BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal.</li></ul>Economists and public health experts have welcomed the duty hike on cigarettes in this year's budget and pitched for higher taxes on more tobacco products to make them unaffordable and <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> tobacco-free in "Amrit Kaal". The hike in national calamity contingent duty on cigarettes by 16 per cent clearly shows the government's intent to further strengthen the tobacco control policy and levy higher tax on "sin" products that claim more than 13 lakh lives in the country every year, noted economist and BJP spokesperson Gopal Krishna Agarwal said. Participating in a discussion on "Amrit Kaal: A Journey towards Tobacco-Free India", organised by Tobacco Free India, a citizen group platform, Agarwal said a hike in prices on such harmful products through tax policy is the most effective way to reduce tobacco consumption. "This can be done by implementing 'triple A' concept: cutting down 'affordability' and 'availability' of tobacco items by hiking tax while making people 'aware' of its harmful impact," he said. "The total tax burden is currently about 53 per cent for cigarettes, 22 per cent for bidis and 60 per cent for smokeless tobacco. This shows that there is enough scope to enhance tax that will not have much impact on the earnings of the industry but will certainly help cut down tobacco consumption. Revenue earned through taxation can be invested for providing alternative jobs to poor and tribal people associated in tobacco-related business," he said. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a uniform tax of at least 75 per cent for each tobacco product, he noted, adding that a parliamentary committee in its recent report too has highlighted that the existing tax on tobacco products is not enough. Currently 28 per cent of the adult population of the country is using tobacco products and its economic burden on health is to the tune of Rs 1,77,341 crore, which is one per cent of India's GDP. "This is worrisome," he said. Participating in the webinar, Dr Uma Kumar, public health expert and Head of the Department of Rheumatology, AIIMS, Delhi, too welcomed the increase in duty on cigarettes as she presented disturbing status of the growing number of diseases linked with tobacco and its health burden on households and the economy. Tobacco is one of the most prominent risk factors associated with cancer as well many other diseases such as respiratory, stroke and heart attacks. Lamenting that affected families not only face the loss of their loved ones but are also drained financially, emotionally and mentally, she said that proposed amendments to the tobacco-control law COTPA by the central government should be implemented with immediate effect. Dr Rahul Bhargava, Director of Haematology and Stem Cell Transplant at Fortis Hospital, Gurugram, termed the increase in duty on cigarettes an "exemplary measure" and hoped that taxes on all the tobacco products will be hiked in the next GST Council meeting in agreement with the states. "The idea is to make these sin products unaffordable to the people and save their lives." Expressing concern that designated smoking zones at airports, hotel and restaurants were a major cause for second hand smoking, the public health expert batted for hundred per cent smoke free areas. Dr Rambha Pandey, Radiation Oncologist at AIIMS-Delhi, echoed similar views as she expressed her concern at the rising consumption of tobacco among people, particularly children in the age group of 9-15 years. "This is the age when we as elders and policy makers should help the adolescents focus on their health and education but unfortunately many of them are getting addicted to the deadly tobacco and by the time they realise their mistakes it is too late for them as well as us," Dr Pandey said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meta-planning-a-fresh-round-of-layoffs-in-year-of-efficiency-says-a-financial-times-report/articleshow/97802692.cms">Meta planning a fresh round of layoffs in 'year of efficiency', says FT report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/seventh-operation-dost-flight-reaches-earthquake-hit-syria-with-over-23-tons-of-relief-material/articleshow/97835516.cms">Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a>

Public health experts pitch for higher taxes on tobacco products to make India tobacco-free in 'Amrit Kaal'

The <keyword id="16476066" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="equity-ownership" source="Orion">equity ownership</keyword> of domestic investors, including institutions and high networth individuals, touched an all-time high of 24.44 per cent in December quarter, making it the fifth consecutive quarterly increase. Retail investors' ownership in the market stood at 7.23 per cent in December 2022, marginally down from 7.34 per cent in September 2022. But in rupee terms, the same increased to Rs 19.94 lakh crore from Rs 19.48 lakh crore in the previous quarter, registering an increase of 2.35 per cent. In September 2022, the share was 24.25 per cent, according to data collated by market information major Prime Database, based on the shareholding patterns of 1,832 of the total 1,857 companies on NSE for the quarter to December 2022. According to Pranav Haldea, managing director of Prime Database Group, this was the fifth consecutive quarter of increase from 22.37 per cent in September quarter 2021 and showcases the rising dominance of domestic investors. Net inflows from domestic institutional investors (DIIs) stood at Rs 27,134 crore during the quarter, as against net inflows from foreign institutional investors (FIIs) at Rs 47,349 crore, resulting in their shareholding marginally increasing to 20.18 per cent in December 2022, from 19.98 per cent in September 2022, massively down from 23.30 per cent in March 2015, when the combined share of DIIs, retail and HNIs was only 18.47 per cent. The widest gap between FII and DII holding was in March 2015 quarter, when DII holding was 55.45 per cent lower than FII holding. The FII to DII ownership ratio has also declined to an all-time low of 1.32 in December 2022 from 1.33 as of September 2022. Over a 13-year period, since June 2009, the FII share has increased from 16.02 per cent to 20.18 per cent while DII share increased from 11.38 per cent to 15.32 per cent. On the other hand, total institutional investor share (FIIs and DIIs) reached 35.50 per cent in December 2022, up from 34.99 in September 2022. Share of domestic mutual funds rose for the sixth quarter running and reached an all-time high of 8.09 per cent in December 2022, up from 7.97 per cent in September 2022. This was after 5 quarters of consecutive decline from March 2020 when it was 7.96 per cent to June 2021 when it was 7.25 per cent. Share of insurance companies as a whole also increased to a 5-year high of 5.65 per cent in December 2022 from 5.57 per cent in September 2022. LIC continues to command the lion's share of investments in equities among insurers; at least 70 per cent share or Rs 10.91 lakh crore. LIC's share across 268 companies where its hold is more than 1 per cent, increased to 3.95 per cent in December 2022 from 3.87 per cent in September 2022. Share of DIIs as a whole thus increased to an all-time high of 15.32 per cent in December 2022 from 15.01 per cent in September 2022. In rupee terms, their holdings went up to Rs 42.28 lakh crore, an increase of 6.07 per cent sequentially. On the other hand the share of retail ownership (those investing less than Rs 2 lakh) has declined marginally to 7.23 per cent in December 2022, from 7.34 per cent in September 2022. But in rupee terms, the same increased to Rs 19.94 lakh crore in the reporting period from Rs 19.48 lakh crore in the previous quarter. The share of HNIs (individuals with more than Rs 2 lakh shareholding in a company) also declined to 1.89 per cent December 2022 from 1.90 per cent in September 2022. As such, the combined retail and HNI share stood at 9.12 per cent in December 2022, down from 9.24 per cent in September 2022. In rupee terms, the holding of FIIs stood at Rs 55.70 lakh crore in December 2022, an increase of 4.98 per cent from Rs 53.06 lakh crore in September 2022. This is in spite of the fact that they pulled out Rs 3,162 crore from consumer durables and oil, gas &amp; consumable fuels sector during the quarter while investing Rs 19,391 crore in financial services &amp; FMCG. According to Haldea, FIIs are the largest non-promoter shareholders in the domestic market. The top 10 companies by market capitalisation accounted for 90.62 per cent of overall FII holding. The share of the government (as promoter) in NSE companies also rose to a 4-year high of 7.99 per cent in December 2022 from 6.87 per cent in September 2022 boosted by the outperformance by public sector banks. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meta-planning-a-fresh-round-of-layoffs-in-year-of-efficiency-says-a-financial-times-report/articleshow/97802692.cms">Meta planning a fresh round of layoffs in 'year of efficiency', says FT report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/seventh-operation-dost-flight-reaches-earthquake-hit-syria-with-over-23-tons-of-relief-material/articleshow/97835516.cms">Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/chatgpt-wrote-6-love-letters-as-the-bard-chandler-bing-an-srk-fan-more-heres-what-it-missed/articleshow/97823242.cms">ChatGPT wrote 6 love letters as the Bard, Chandler Bing, an SRK fan &amp; more – here’s what it missed</a>

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Seventh Operation Dost flight reaches earthquake-hit Syria with over 23 tons of relief material

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PTI

Domestic market ownership rises for fifth quarter in a row to 24.44% in December 2022

PTI