Jio loses 20L subscribers in Punjab, Haryana in December
Reliance Jio recorded a fall of around 20 lakh wireless subscribers in Punjab and Haryana in December 2020 amid farmers' protest, as per the data of TRAI.
State-run BSNL has also increased subscribers in both Punjab and Haryana in December. Reliance Jio was the only large telco to lose subscribers in both Punjab and Haryana.
In Punjab, Reliance Jio's subscribers stood at around 1.25 crore in December, compared to 1.4 crore in November 2020. In Haryana, Jio wireless subscribers fell to 89.07 lakh in December from 94.48 lakh in November.
The farmers’ protest, Jio lost over 15 lakh subscribers in Punjab, as its number of customers in the state reduced from over 1.4 crore in November 2020 to less than 1.25 crore in December, the data showed. Similarly, in Haryana, its subscriber base fell from 94.48 lakh in November to 89.07 lakh in December.
The protestors, who have been agitating since November, believe that the new laws will aid big corporate houses like Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, Jio’s parent company. In total, the company lost more than 20 lakh subscribers across the two states.
Another report says, there are as many as 1,500 Jio mobile towers were vandalised allegedly by those protesting against the new farm laws, amid concerns that the reforms will lead to corporate exploitation of the farmers.
Then in January, Reliance Industries had filed a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking government intervention into the matter. The company, in its petition, claimed that Reliance has no plans to enter the contract farming business, one of the provisions under the farm laws. The petition also said that the company, which is into retail business as well, will insist on its suppliers to procure produce from farmers at the Minimum Support Price.
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