Jio-Facebook deal lifts sagging spirits, brings hope in times of despair
- April 12, 2020
- Updated: 04:59 pm
By Manish Tiwari, Editor-in-Chief, Daily World.
When the world is passing through a phase of 'œgloom and doom' due to the fallout of the novel Coronavirus pandemic and the economy is contracting as never before, the Social media giant Facebook's decision to buy 9.9 per cent stake for Rs 43,574 crore in Reliance Jio has not only pepped up the country's mood but also brought hope to the sagging Indian economy in this gloomy environ.
The investment of US $ 5.7 billion has a greater significance for India. It has an inherent message for the country that all is not lost; that India has a strong potential to recover from the economic crisis in a short span; and that more than the money, it is the perception which matters in such hard times.
For Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) chairman Mukesh Ambani, the deal will not only help his company cut debt that it has amassed in its endeavour to make Reliance Jio the top digital platform in India, but also leverage the Whatsapp messenger to offer digital payment services to small grocery/kirana shops all over the country and thus, capture a new segment for expanding its businesses.
Needless to say, Reliance Jio has scripted a success story within a span of just a few years after launching its operations and given tough times to all top telecom players, despite some political parties taking a dig at the company's 'growth model' and the dramatic transformation spurred by it in the digital world.
While Ambani is set out to dominate the digital market after the Jio-Facebook deal, he has also proved a point that he shares the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Digital India' and would like to realise his dream of giving one-stop solutions to the customers through digital network. Initially, Jio announced 'free of cost' telecom services to build the largest customer base, before it started charging money that is still far less than other operators. Ambani's vision to transform the digital world by providing quality network and services is what has lured the world's largest social media company, Facebook to invest in Reliance Jio.
Besides the telecom sector, India has vast potential to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in several other fields. With the world becoming increasingly wary of China and its policies, there is a strong change for us to emerge as a big foreign investment destination. In the Jio-Facebook deal, there is also an underlying message for the Government of India '” it should go whole hog to support the industries and do the handholding at this hour by further announcing big stimulus package.
Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures, and this is the time when the government must rev up the economy by supporting industries and corporate, even at the cost of the fiscal deficit going up for a while. Moreover, the falling crude oil prices give the government enough headspace to deal with deficit at the later stage.
This deal also has bucked the trend that every single corporate house and financial investment firm has been advocating '” conserve cash...don't invest! They can always take a cue from Chinese companies which are on a buying spree across the world, especially after the Coronavirus pandemic, and are in the mode of investing and acquiring stakes in critical infrastructure, including ports and terminals, at a time when China's economy has contracted 6.8 per cent in the first three months of 2020.
The Government of India has been smart enough to bring about changes in the FDI policy, making it mandatory for all countries sharing land border with it to seek its prior permission for all forms of investments in India. No doubt, China was the only country to openly object to the recent changes in the FDI policy, which it thought was made to stop Chinese firms acquiring assets in our country and have a free run to do cheap pickings.
The lockdown is physical but post Coronavirus, it should not become a 'œmental lockdown'. If Japan could rebuild its economy after being devastated during the World War-II and become the second largest economy in the world within a span of 25 years, there is a lot to be learnt by India Inc. Reliance has shown the way forward and it's time for the Government and other corporates to rise to the occasion!