India equity benchmarks flat; ITC tanks about 10%

India's equity benchmarks are flat, with Nifty 50 up 0.01% and Sensex down 0.02%. ITC shares plummeted nearly 10% following a new government tax on cigarettes, impacting volumes and raising concerns about illicit trade. This decline pulled the Nifty FMCG index down by 3.5%. In contrast, ten of the fifteen major sectors saw gains, while small-caps fell by 0.2% and mid-caps rose by 0.2%. Auto stocks increased by 0.7% as companies reported December sales data.