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Railways has increased by 77 per cent over the past five years with significant investments in the construction of new lines, gauge conversion and doubling, the Economic Survey 2023-24 said on Monday. According to the survey tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in the financial year 2019-2020, the capital expenditure was 1.48 lakh crore which was increased to ₹2.62 lakh crore in 2023-24.

Indian stock market in just five years. According to data quoted in the Economic Survey 2023-24, the number of unique tax IDs registered on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) rose from 2.7 crore in FY19 to 9.2 crore in FY24. Going by the trend, a significant portion of the new investors are expected to be retail investors. What's even more surprising is that a majority of these new retail investors are likely to be young and have a higher appetite for risk.

₹38,765 crore. While this dip was largely anticipated, the real letdown came from its retail arm, Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd (RRVL), where growth momentum slowed significantly. RRVL’s revenue growth stood at 7% year-on-year in Q1, even as the average area operated in terms of square feet increased by 18%.

Economic Survey 2024 Live UpdatesThe Union government tabled the Economic Survey 2023-24 in Parliament. The Economic Survey document, prepared by the Economic Division of the Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance and formulated under the supervision of the chief economic adviser, gives insights into the state of the economy and various indicators of 2023-24 (April-March) and some outlook for the current year.

NASA News: The Curiosity rover made its most unusual discovery on Mars: rocks made of pure sulfur. The rover drove over a rock and cracked it open, revealing yellowish-green crystals which had never been seen before on Mars.Ashwin Vasavada, the Curiosity project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), called it the Mars mission's strangest and most unexpected find. He attributed it to luck since not every rock contains something interesting.On May 30, Vasavada and his team observed Curiosity’s mosaic and noticed a crushed rock in the rover’s wheel tracks.

Abhay Agarwal, MD & CIO, Piper Serica, says that in markets like this, it is very difficult to analyse momentum because segments of the market are in a frothy zone – stocks that have gone up 10 times. All stocks in sectors like railways, defence, and power are at 5 times, 10 times. So, it is difficult to stay with the momentum. It is a very risky bet. Agarwal says: “We like to explore sectors that have not done well and are not on investors’ radar for the time being.” What spooked the markets on Friday? Is this just par for the course and are we headed for that 25,000-26,000 level soon? Abhay Agarwal: I have not read too much about this weakness over the last couple of days, including today. This will continue till the Budget announcement. It is a big event. We are very close to it. So, traders are probably lightweighting their long positions and booking profits.

orphan drugs from the government-set price controls, people in the know told ET. It has asked the government to do away with the existing practice of 50% price cuts upon patent expiry, arguing that the government's price-setting provisions will stymie innovation. In a recent meeting held with the Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP), the OPPI also sought exemption from price controls for drugs used for rare diseases.

LEH: Expanding its probe into the seizure of 108 kilogrammes of gold bars from the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the India-China border, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) found that gold bars were smuggled from seven countries, including the United States, Canada, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Dubai, and were brought to Tibet, from where they were meant to be smuggled into India. A total of five suspects, including a couple who ran two cafes in upmarket Leh, have been arrested and taken to Ludhiana for interrogation by a joint team of the DRI, customs and Intelligence Bureau, officials told ET. They said the couple, identified as Tender Tashi and Tashi Dolma, recruited Tenzin Samphel, a native of Hanley in eastern Ladakh, who in turn hired two couriers, Tenzin Targy and Tsering Chamba, from Hanley. The interrogation of the suspects revealed the name of the alleged kingpin, who is believed to be based in Delhi and is presently on the run, according to the people.

Taylor Swift Eras Tour tickets prices have always hogged the limelight. With the Eras Tour shows set to resume in August, here is the last chance to grab tickets in cheap price. Swift will perform across multiple cities in Europe. She will conclude the European leg with five concerts in London. One of Swift's shows will be at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on August 10. Fans can grab two tickets by spending just £10 (USD 12.92). Wowcher is offering the lucrative deal for Swift fans to witness the Vienna concert. One needs to visit Wowcher UK website for cheap tickets, as per a report in Mirror. Swift fans can also purchase Eras Tour Tickets from traditional websites. However, some ticket prices are ranging between £400 and £600, Mirror reported.

Budget 2024: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman who will present Union Budget for record-seventh time is scheduled to table the Economic Survey on July 22, Monday. «The Economic Survey of India will be laid on the table of the Houses of Parliament on Monday, the 22nd of July, 2024. The Budget for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for 2024 will also be presented on the 23rd of July, 2024. Tentatively 6 items of legislative business and 3 items of financial business have been identified for being taken up during this session,» said Kiren Rijiju, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs. The upcoming Budget will be Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's first major policy announcement after securing a third term in May. The Budget is set to host an array of measures to combat unemplyement and other persisting issues in the country.

Kush Maini won his maiden Formula 2 Sprint Race at the Hungarian Grand Prix after initial winner Richard Verschoor's was disqualified due to a technical infringement. Following the top of podium finish, the 23-year-old Invicta racing driver added 10 points to his season tally. With the win at the at Hungaroring on Saturday, Maini surpassed Mercedes junior driver Kimi Antonelli in the Formula 2 Drivers Standings to P8 with 66 points under his belt. Placed ninth on the starting grid in round 9 of the F2 Championship, Maini had his work cut out after a tough start on the hard compound tyre, which saw him lose a position on the opening lap to the Prema racing driver Antonelli.

Lancet study, due to high levels of air pollution and tobacco consumption. According to the study published in May, ischaemic heart disease will continue to be the leading cause of death around the world, followed by stroke, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In ischaemic heart disease, narrowing of vessels in the organ reduces blood flow. The study projected that men and women around the world could live longer by up to five and four years, respectively. «It is going to remain the number one killer and disabling disease with continued bad lifestyle and increasing stress. Yet, there is a lack of understanding of the exact mechanism of formation of these blockages (in the heart's blood vessels). Till we understand the mechanism, the solutions cannot be found,» said Dr Atul Mathur, Executive Director, Interventional Cardiology and Chief of Cath Lab, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi.

Usha Vance, stood to become a vice-presidential spouse. That cemented a remarkable reality: At the moment, a woman of Indian descent will either serve another term in the White House or be the second lady. It was the latest milestone for an Indian American community that has emerged as a political powerhouse over the past decade. Kamala Harris in 2021 became the first person of Indian descent, as well as the first woman and Black person, to be vice president. The 2024 presidential cycle is the first one to have featured two Indian American candidates in Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Shoppers Stop, Reliance Retail, Lifestyle and VMart bet on a flurry of nuptial celebrations in the second half of this fiscal to reverse their tepid sales growth and boost demand. There will be about 47 auspicious wedding dates in the second half, three times more than 14 in the first half, they reason. “We are looking at a very strong festive campaign, and weddings will be very, very big as we have somewhere around 50-odd (auspicious) days,” Kavindra Mishra, managing director of Shoppers Stop, said during its first quarter earnings call on Friday. “We believe we have got the right kind of merchandise to be a wedding destination,” he said. In FY24, year-on-year retail sales growth rate declined every month, reflecting weak consumer sentiment across segments such as apparel, footwear, and quick service restaurants (QSR).

Indians are buying daily necessities and fast-moving consumer goods more frequently and in larger numbers than a few years ago, with researchers and senior executives attributing this to a growing trend of consumers seeking instant gratification, fuelled by burgeoning quick commerce. Realising the consumer behaviour, mainstream retailers like Reliance Retail and Spencer’s Retail are focusing on online orders and reducing their delivery time. Ecommerce firm Amazon is trying to turn around orders faster, while rival Flipkart has introduced its own quick commerce service.

electronics manufacturing sector will need more than 63 lakh trained shop-floor workers, purchasing managers and engineers in the next 18 to 24 months, across varied roles in equipment service, integration and middleware departments. Some of this demand will be fulfilled within the industry, as people move to greener pastures in search of better jobs and salaries. But most of the requirements will need to be fulfilled by freshers and college graduates.

Lewis Hamilton decided he needed to switch teams, Mercedes finally gives him a competitive car. Mercedes has elbowed its way into the most tightly contested Formula 1 season since Max Verstappen wrested the mantle of serial winner from Hamilton in 2021. Seven-time world champion Hamilton and Mercedes teammate George Russell have won back-to-back races; Russell was first in Austria and Hamilton surprisingly took the victory at Silverstone, and the team arrived this week at the Hungarian Grand Prix with renewed hope after a long spell of self-doubt.

Twisters' movie has set the north American box-office on fire with its opening. Now, cinephiles are eagerly waiting for the release of the film on OTT streaming platform. The 2024-released film is a sequel to 'Twister' which hit theatres in 1996. Lee Isaac Chung-directed film was premier in London on July 8 this year. 'Twisters' eventually will be released on OTT platform. The movie is likely to premier on Max or HBO Max as Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures movies are released on that platform only.

A nurse is being hailed a hero after her quick response saved the life of a 12-year-old who had been pulled out into the ocean by a rip current while enjoying a day at the beach in Nova Scotia.

fallen into the Jinqian River earlier, said a state broadcaster CCTV. Images on state TV also showed a partially submerged section of the bridge with the river rushing over it.According to local media reports, one person, Meng, had just reached the bridge when other drivers yelled out to him to stop the car.

Allem Appaiah, the District Medical and Health Officer (DMHO) of Mulugu in Telangana, undertook a challenging journey to deliver essential supplies to remote tribal communities. On July 16, Appaiah set out on a 16km trek that took over five hours, crossing treacherous terrain, wading through a swollen stream, and climbing hills to reach a remote settlement in Wajedu mandal. As per a TOI report, Appaiah's mission was to deliver medicines, mosquito nets, and provisions to 11 tribal families from the Guthi Koya tribe. His efforts were driven not only by the need to provide essentials but also by a desire to convince the families to relocate to the plains for their safety. The challenging conditions in their current location, including the difficulty in accessing medical facilities during emergencies, prompted this request. To better understand the living conditions of the tribe, Appaiah spent the night at the thanda in Penugolu village. This settlement, housing 39 residents including young children, is situated in a hazardous location, making it hard to provide necessary medical support.