Ambanis throw their lot with Assocham.

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Ambanis throw their lot with Assocham

Source: Economic Times, March 11, 2004

NEW DELHI : India ’s biggest business group Reliance has finally shed its chamber neutrality. Reliance Infocomm has joined Assocham as a patron member.

Reliance Info is learnt to have joined Assocham only two days ago and the company’s representative is now part of the managing committee of the chamber.

At Assocham, the company will share the table with other telecom heavy weights, including Bharti Televentures, Tata Teleservices, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Hutch, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL) and Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL). Sources said that Assocham’s spirited lobbying for a unified telecom licence regime seems to have done the trick. “We already had one of the strongest telecom membership among all chambers in the country. The entry of Reliance Info has now completes our coverage of telecom sector,” says Assocham spokesperson.

For Assocham, Reliance Info membership couldn’t have come at a better time. The chamber which is considered a laggard compared to its cousins — CII and FICCI — is now desperately trying to improve its brand image. The entry of a Reliance group company is expected to give a big boost to Assocham’s efforts to expand its membership and revenues.

It will help it drawing more such big-ticket members. “The fact that Indian largest business house preferred us over others is an indication of our strength and vibrancy,” said Assocham spokesperson. Industry bodies have for long been trying to get Reliance on their board but the Ambanis refrained from associating themselves formally with any of them.

Edited March 11, 2004 by Ashokjp