With Facebook picking up a nearly 10 per stake in Jio platforms, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani on Wednesday said the partnership will prove to be a catalyst to make India one of the world’s leading digital societies.
In a video statement, Ambani said he is delighted to welcome Facebook as a long-term partner and said the two companies will together accelerate India’s digital transformation to empower, enable and enrich people.
“At the core of the partnership is the commitment that Mark Zuckerberg and I share for the all-around digital transformation of India and for serving all Indians."
Facebook and Reliance on Wednesday announced that the US tech giant will buy a 9.99 per cent stake in the telecom unit of Reliance for $5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore), as the social media firm looks to leverage its highly popular WhatsApp chat service to offer digital payment services.
Giving more details on how the partnership would work, Ambani said in his statement that in the near future, JioMart, Jio's digital new commerce platform, and WhatsApp will empower nearly 3 crore small Indian kirana shops to digitally transact with every customer in their neighbourhood.
As part of the deal, local vendors and small kirana businesses will be able to register on JioMart, the online groceries delivery platform, and receive seamless orders through WhatsApp.
Here is RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani’s full statement on the deal:
My fellow Indians, namaskar.
I trust that all of you are safe and well.
I am here to share with you some exciting news today. All of us at Reliance and Jio are delighted to welcome Facebook Inc. as our long-term and esteemed partner.
At the core of our partnership is the commitment that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, and I share for the all-round digital transformation of India and for serving all Indians. Together, our two companies will accelerate India's digital economic to empower you to enable you and to enrich you.
Our partnership will be a great catalyst to make India the world's leading digital society.
Over the past few years, Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram have become household names in India. WhatsApp, in particular, has entered our people's daily vocabulary in all the 23 official languages of India. WhatsApp is not just a digital application. It has become aapka aur hum sabka pyara dost - a friend, who brings together families, friends, businesses, information seekers and providers.
The combined power of Jio's world-class digital connectivity platform and Facebook's intimate relationship with the Indian people will offer innovative new solutions to each one of you in the very near future. JioMart, Jio's digital new commerce platform and WhatsApp will empower nearly 3 crore small Indian kirana shops to digitally transact with every customer in their neighbourhood. This means all of you can order and get faster delivery of day-to-day items from nearby local shops.
At the same time, small kiranas can grow their businesses and create new employment opportunities using digital technology. And in the days to come, this winning recipe will be extended to serve other key stake holders of Indian society. Our kisans, our small and medium enterprises, our students and teachers, our healthcare providers and above all our women and youth who form the foundation of a new India.
Our visionary and most respected Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji has set two ambitious goals in his digital India mission. 'Ease of living' for all Indians, especially for the common Indians, and 'Ease of Doing Business' for all entrepreneurs, especially for small entrepreneurs. Today, I assure you that the synergy between Jio and Facebook will help realise these goals.
Finally, I take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you good health and safety in the current and extraordinary situation in India and around the world. We are all in this together, and together we will overcome this pandemic. Corona haarega India jeetega. With our collective efforts, India will surely emerge stronger, healthier and better. Thank you and Jai Hind.
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