Two-wheeler market leader Hero MotoCorp today said that it will halt all its operations due to the rising covid-19 cases in the country. The company in a release said," In keeping with its commitment to the safety and welfare of its people, Hero MotoCorp has decided to proactively halt operations temporarily at all of its manufacturing facilities across the country, including its Global Parts Center (GPC), in view of the ongoing escalation in the spread of Covid-19 across the country."

"The Company will utilize these shut-down days to carry out necessary maintenance work in the manufacturing plants. The shutdown will not impact the company’s ability to meet the demand, which has been impacted due to localized shut-downs in many states and production loss will be compensated during the remainder of the quarter. All plants will resume normal operations post this short shutdown period,it further added.

Each plant and GPC will remain shut for four days, in a staggered manner between April 22– May 1 basis the local scenario.

All corporate offices of the company are already in Work from Home (WFH) mode and very limited colleagues are in offices on rotation basis for continuity of essential services.

Earlier the company said it will cover the COVID-19 vaccination cost of its workforce, including permanent and contractual employees.

The company will also facilitate similar vaccination initiatives across its group companies such as Hero FinCorp, Hero Future Energies, Rockman Industries, Hero Electronix and AG Industries, the two wheeler major said in a statement.

The game of one-upmanship between the MVA government and the opposition over remdesivir supply reached its nadir late Saturday when a director of a pharma company that had been approached by the BJP to provide the anti-viral drug was picked up for questioning by the police and the leaders of the opposition in the legislature rushed to the BKC police station to rescue him.

In video clips that went viral on Sunday, Devendra Fadnavis, leader of the opposition in the assembly, was seen engaged in a heated conversation with the police over the detention of Rajesh Dokania, a director of Bruck Pharma. Praveen Darekar, leader of the opposition in the legislative council, also cross-questioned the police.

Transport sector is facing losses of around Rs 315 crore per day due to coronavirus restrictions in the country. The chairman-core committee and former president of All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC) Bal Malkit Singh said that restrictions by the state government have started affecting the transport sector.

"The shops are closed except those dealing with essential items, restrictions by the state government have started affecting the transport sector. The sector is facing a loss of 315 crores rupees per day due to the restrictions across the country," said Malkit Singh to news agency ANI.

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that he has invited electric vehicle (EV) major Tesla Inc to start manufacturing EVs in India. In his address at The Raisina Dialogue 2021, he said that it is golden opportunity for the company to start manufacturing in India. Gadkari also said that he has assured the company that the government will help them set up industrial clusters in the country.

I had a video conference with Tesla management. I suggested them that it is a golden opportunity for them to start manufacturing here in India,” he said.

Exuding confidence on Indian EV makers, he said that “Indian products are also improving and within two years, we will get e-vehicles of Tesla standard in Indian market.”

The South Korean government-led trade delegation met the Sikkim Commerce and Industry Minister Bedu Singh Panth on Friday.

In the first-ever visit to the North-east region of India, a high-level delegation of senior officials of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Korean Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), and Korea- Startup Centre, K-sure, and Korea India Research & Innovation Center (KIRI) met Bedu Singh Panth, Minister of Commerce and Industries in Gangtok on Friday.