Reliance Jio has helped farmers and traders participate in digital commerce: Reliance Industries on farmer protests

Reliance Industries has raised a strong objection against a section of protestors and reports speculating the company’s role in the Farm Bills that were recently passed. Reliance Industries has state that Reliance Jio has helped farmers, traders and consumers participate in digital commerce, and has urged the public and the media to be aware of the “correct facts” and not be “misguided by false information and narratives peddled by vested interests for their own gain and benefit”.

The company has issued the statement after recent incidents of vandalism of Reliance Jio towers, and burning of SIM cards came to the fore following the farmer protests that have gripped the country. “Jio’s fully 4G network has provided world-class data connectivity to every single village in India at the most affordable rates anywhere in the world, thus bringing the benefits of the Digital Revolution to crores of Indian farmers. In just four short years, Reliance Jio has become India’s largest digital service provider, with 40 crore loyal customers. As of 31st October 2020, Jio has more than 140 lakh subscribers in Punjab (approximately 36% subscribers in the state) and 94 lakh in Haryana (approximately 34 % subscribers in the state). Unlike the vested interests, Jio has not resorted to any coercive or unlawful measures to win over customers,” said a statement from the company.

“During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Jio’s network has become a lifeline for millions of farmers and others in rural and urban India. It has helped kisans, traders and consumers to participate in digital commerce. It has enabled professionals to work from home, and students to learn from home. It has aided teachers, doctors, patients, courts, various government and private offices, industries and charitable establishments. It has served people working to provide emergency, critical and life-saving services,” added the company in the statement.

Reliance Industries also clarified that it has no intent to purchase any agricultural land, directly or indirectly, in Punjab/Haryana or anywhere else in India, for the purpose of “corporate” or “contract” farming. “Reliance Retail Limited (RRL), Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), or any other affiliate of our parent company, i.e., Reliance Industries Limited have not done any “corporate” or “contract” farming in the past, and have absolutely no plans to enter this business,” said the company.

Furthermore, the company has moved to court to stops the acts of vandalism. “Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), through its subsidiary Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL), in a petition mentioned to be filed in the Honourable Punjab and Haryana High Court today, has sought the urgent intervention of Government authorities to bring a complete stop to the illegal acts of vandalism by miscreants. These acts of violence have endangered the lives of thousands of its employees and caused damage and disruption to the vital communications infrastructure, sales and service outlets run by its subsidiaries in the two states,” added Reliance Industries.

In the meanwhile, COAI condemned the incidents of vandalism as well. “While we respect people's right to protest on any issue, sabotaging the telecom network infrastructure and disrupting telecom services as a form of protest by anyone is strongly condemned. Telecom services are the lifeline of lakhs of customers, including students taking online classes, professionals working from home, people going in for online health consultations in the tough time of COVID 19. The disruption of telecom services, which are considered “essential” under various enactments, is causing immense inconvenience to the common man for whom the mobile services are so essential. During the lockdown and the continuing pandemic, warriors of the telecom sector worked tirelessly to provide seamless and uninterrupted connectivity across the length and breadth of the country through doorstep delivery, infrastructure augmentation & 24x7 network support,” said Lt. Gen Dr. SP Kochhar, DG, COAI.