Mangaluru: Minister Khader rescues Sabarimala devotees from burning car

Mangaluru, Mar 23: In its efforts to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, the district administration has ordered that all shops and establishments selling essential commodities to remain open only between 0600 hrs and 1200 hrs from Tuesday till March 31.

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh, in a press release here, announced that autorickshaws and taxis should not ferry passengers and should be utilised only during emergencies and for transportation of essential commodities among others.

Ms Sindhu has also ordered shutting down industries. Only those industries involved in the production of essential commodities, medicines, medical instruments, medicine, fuel, farm produce among others had been exempted, Please log in to get detailed story.

Abu Dhabi-based NMC Healthcare has reportedly received bids to sell its distribution unit and will soon be selling it to different parties.

The development comes over three months after NMC Healthcare’s founder and then-chairman B R Shetty stepped down amid allegations of massive fraud. 

The company, which recently laid off hundreds of workers, is offloading stake in the subsidiary as it is considered non-core and requires substantially high working capital to run the operations. In addition, this stake sale will help the company pay off some of its debt

"There are parties who have strong interest in the distribution business. NMC will be offloading the unit soon and that also to different parties," a source said.

"The company is in the process of exploring options for NMC Trading, the group's distribution business, which it has determined to be non-core and requiring substantial levels of working capital. The process should not materially adversely impact distributors' activities, nor NMC Trading's customers," an NMC Healthcare spokeswoman said.

The UK-court has appointed Alvarez & Marsal as administrator to oversee the operations of the debt-ridden hospital operator. The healthcare firm has been caught in a whirlpool of $6.6 billion debt while its senior former high management team is under investigation for financial irregularities.

The UAE Central Bank has direct local banks to freeze all bank accounts of NMC founder BR Shetty and his family members as well as accounts of those companies where he has a stake. The Central Bank move is subsequent to a criminal complaint filed by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, which has the largest exposure to NMC Healthcare, amounting Dh3 billion.

As the company faces financial difficulties, Reuters reported that NMC Health delayed May staff salaries and now expects to complete making payments by the first week of June.

The spokeswoman said: "The company has been in regular dialogue with its creditor constituencies through various creditor committees, including the direct bank lenders to its NMC Trading businesses."

Bengaluru, Apr 16: Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy had said that his son Nikhil's marriage ceremony will take place at bride Revati's residence in Bengaluru, however, the wedding preparations are also going on in his farmhouse at Ramnagar.

This comes amid the lockdown in the country due to COVID-19 outbreak. The farmhouse is located at Kethaganahally, near Bidadi in Ramnagar.

Kumaraswamy has said the marriage will be simple and only his family members will attend and no one from outside would be invited.

Earlier Kumaraswamy has said that his son's marriage will take place on April 17 at bride house.