The Tamil Nadu government will give a Rs 20,000 subsidy for buying a new e-scooter to 2,000 internet-based service workers registered with the Gig Workers Welfare Board, ET reported. The subsidy will be part of the Budget Estimate of Rs 1,975 crore allocated for the Labour Welfare and Skill Development Department.
The state will offer a group insurance scheme to cover accidental death and disability, benefiting approximately 1.5 lakh workers. Additionally, lounges equipped with essential facilities will be established in metropolitan cities, including Chennai and Coimbatore, for the convenience of gig workers.
The state government will provide vocational training to the children of construction workers and set up 7 new Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) with hostel facilities in Krishnagiri, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Madurai (Thiruparankundram), Trichy (Mannachanallur), Coimbatore (Perur) and Dharmapuri (Karimangalam).
Trump selects a new Tesla on White House driveway to help Elon Musk
US president Donald Trump (known for his criticism of electric cars in the past) has bought a “brand new Tesla” after shares in Musk’s electric-car company plunged. On Monday, Tesla shares were down more than 50% from a mid-December peak, their lowest point since before election day, according to NYT. The Washington Post pointed out that support from Trump comes as Musk faces “blowback” because of “his work to advance the president’s political agenda and downsize the federal government”.
Time reported on the falling share prices of Tesla, even as electric cars sales overall rise, in places including Europe and China. Trump warned that he would label any violence against Tesla dealerships as domestic terrorism, reported CNN.
US eyes zero tariff on cars in trade deal as Tesla gears up to enter India market
The United States wants India to eliminate tariffs on car imports under a “bilateral deal” but New Delhi is reluctant to immediately bring down such duties to zero even as it considers further cuts, sources told Reuters.
India’s high auto tariffs will feature in formal talks for a bilateral trade deal that are yet to begin, said one of the three sources, all of whom were briefed on the matter, paving the way for American electric vehicle maker Tesla. Taxes on cars imported into India are as high as 110%, which Tesla chief Elon Musk has criticised as being among the steepest in the world. Musk has now found support from U.S. President Donald Trump. India last month cut import tariffs on nearly 30 items including high-end motorcycles and said it will review surcharges on luxury cars.
Battery maker Northvolt, ‘Europe’s best hope’, files for bankruptcy in Sweden
Swedish battery maker Northvolt has filed for bankruptcy, the company was “once regarded as Europe’s best hope of competing in an industry dominated by China”, reported the Financial Times. The newspaper said the company, whose backers included Volkswagen, Goldman Sachs and BlackRock, announced that it had been unable to secure financing to continue operations and a court-appointed trustee would sell its assets.
Reuters reported that Northvolt sought US chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2024, “as its cash pile dwindled, trying to secure funds that would allow it to fix persistent problems in scaling up output at its flagship plant in northern Sweden”.
China’s car sales rise 1.3% in first two months of 2025
The sales of passenger vehicles in China “inched up” 1.3% year-on-year in January and February 2025, with a 26% year-on-year increase to 1.4 million units in February offsetting a 12% fall in January, Reuters reported. The newswire added that the sale of new energy vehicles (NEVs), which covers electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids, increased 80% to account for just under 49% of overall auto sales last month
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