'WERE IT NOT FOR THE SUITS, sombre faces and plush chairs, the launch of Digital India would have had the aura of a pop concert. It was the first day of July in 2015, and thousands of people had filled the arena of the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in Delhi. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi entered, the crowd erupted with cheers. Before the presentations began in earnest, jumbotrons played a digital animation accompanied by heavy electronic music. Light—sometimes blue, sometimes yellow—bathed the stage.
"Big media has become bigger. The takeover of Network 18 by Reliance has consolidated news media in the country like nothing before. The Reliance-Network18 combination is, in fact, not exactly new. It was actually executed a couple of years ago in a very telling, roundabout fashion when Reliance lent money to Network18 through a trust called IMT, among other things, to buy all of its media properties. As a result of Network18’s debt, Reliance could then dictate to it the terms of repayment, which were agreed between the two entities in the form of debentures convertible to shares.
"HDFC Standard Life, Birla Sun Life and Reliance Life top the chart of unfair business practices among two dozen life insurance companies, as per the Irda data submitted to the Finance Ministry. According to the data on 'Unfair Business Practices', compiled by the insurance regulator Irda, 10,819 complaints were filed by consumers against HDFC Standard life during April 1-July 20, 2014. These complaints relate to alleged "selling of (life insurance) policies by making false lucrative offers".
"It’s been more than a month since industrial giant Reliance Industries took over Network18 Group, which runs a suite of television channels including the CNN and CNBC affiliates in India. Everyone has wondered if the company owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani would interfere in the news-gathering operations of its new properties. The answer appears to be yes. Last week, a day after founding editor Rajdeep Sardesai emailed his resignation to the staff, a small group of executives from Reliance (RIL) held a town hall in the suburban New Delhi offices of CNN IBN, the English news channel.
"One of the most sinister exchanges in the Niira Radia tapes takes place past 11 pm on June 10, 2009. The then PR diva is having a tense conversation with Manoj Modi, the right-hand man of India’s most powerful businessman, Mukesh Ambani. The top management of conglomerate Reliance Industries—a client of Radia’s PR firm—is upset, very upset. Business magazine Forbes India (published by the then Raghav Bahl-promoted Network 18) had committed, according to the Ambanis, a grave transgression.
"Anil Ambani-headed Reliance Communications (RCOM) plans to slash 37 per cent of its 15,000-strong workforce by the month-end by outsourcing its call centre and shared services operations in a bold restructuring move aimed at exiting non-core businesses and cutting costs to boost profitability..."
"Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) has apologised to the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) for offering incentives to doctors referring patients to the hospital... The hospital's apology follows a show-cause notice by the medical council in May... The MMC alleged the hospital has been sending entry forms, titled Elite Forum, to various doctors. "We had received the form from two doctors... it clearly shows rewards for admissions. This indicates doctors are offered a cut for referring patients to the hospital," MMC president Dr Kishor Taori said...
"State-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation on Thursday claimed before the Delhi high court it has suffered loss of Rs 30,000 crore as a result of Reliance Industries Ltd exploiting - an euphemism for siphoning - gas from its block in the Krishna-Godavari basin..."
"After criticizing the government over Reliance Industries Ltd and the KG-D6 gas field, the federal auditor has rapped India's biggest private oil company for charging marketing margin, but not including the income for calculating royalty and government's share.
