The Ambani brothers, Mukesh and Anil, came together on Thursday to raise the issue of stalled projects plaguing India Inc and implored the Maharashtra government and the Centre to make Mumbai, India's financial capital, an easier place for business and investments. "Several projects are stuck for many years in Mumbai and we would like to know how the government intends to improve the financing and execution of projects, including those relating to infrastructure and education which have been in limbo for long and are affecting the growth of the city," Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Chairman Mukesh Ambani told Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. Seated on the same table was his brother, apart from Tata Group Chairman Cyrus Mistry and State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya. Jaitley was addressing the Mumbai Next MMR Transformation conclave, organised by the Maharashtra government and Mumbai First here, through video conference. In his reply, Jaitley said the government was exploring several options of infrastructure financing in India and that a number of international bodies were ready to fund infrastructure development projects. He added the government was keenly considering these funding sources. While praising Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for honesty, Jaitley also had a word of advice. Apart from being honest, the government had to be decisive, he said. On his part, Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani told the chief minister about his experience of decisions being delayed due to an indecisive bureaucracy and the need to protect officials who wanted to take quick decisions. "Through the past many years, we have faced a number of obstacles in decision-making," he said, adding he was speaking as someone who had lived and invested in Mumbai. Fadnavis responded by saying he would bring about a transparent process to ring-fence officials. Both the Ambani brothers have announced a number of infrastructure projects in and around Mumbai, including a world-class convention centre in Bandra Kurla Complex by RIL, but very few have actually fructified. RIL's special economic zone project failed to take off due to land acquisition problems in Raigarh, while a second SEZ near Mumbai is stuck due to lack of clarity in SEZ norms. The first phase of the Mumbai Metro, set up by Anil Ambani's Reliance Infrastructure, was marred by cost overruns and run-ins with the government over fares. Subsequently, the company withdrew from the second and larger phase, citing inordinate delay. Anil Ambani also withdrew from Mumbai's sea link project on the same grounds. The brothers had also bid for a trans-harbour sea link between Navi Mumbai and Mumbai under the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government, but their bid was rejected. Reliance Infrastructure is also the power supplier to more than half of this city. Participating in the conclave, some of India Inc's leading bankers said making Mumbai a financial hub would take at least a decade. SBI's Bhattacharya said the Indian currency should be made fully convertible and facilities should be created for it. "However, for this, the economy needs to look up and that will happen only in the next 7-10 years, not immediately," she added. Sunil Kaushal, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered, India, pitched for strong infrastructure to support development. "We will take a long time to develop into a global financial centre. We need to solve transport bottlenecks in Mumbai and have lifestyle facilities for people working in and around these areas," he said.
Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India on Saturday said it has received several letters from Reliance Industries vice-chairman and managing director Anil Ambani
As the time draws closer to the expiry of exclusivity agreement between Rcom and MTN for negotiations, one newspaper after another in Britain and the US is commenting on the eruption of a battle between the two richest brothers in the world. The controversy over the possible deal started with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries asserting its Right of First Refusal over the younger brother's company with legal notices to Rcom and MTN.
Given the incredibly high stakes involved, the Comptroller and Auditor General and Central Vigilance Commission should examine relevant facts and find out if capex was overstated, Anil said, pointing that budgeted expenditure of RIL for peak production of 40 mmscmd was only Rs 12,000 crore (Rs 120 billion) in 2004.
Bharat Borge, the mechanic whose timely discovery that there were pebbles and mud in the gear box of Anil Ambani's helicopter, was found dead beside railway tracks in suburban Andheri in Mumbai under mysterious circumstances on Tuesday.
Deora is believed to have explained the oil ministry's position on gas pricing and utilisation.
Anil Ambani promoted Reliance Natural Resources icked off the second round of the battle today by filing a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, which prompted Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries to file a caveat in the apex court.
A new round of conflict started on Friday between the Ambani brothers, with the faction led by Mukesh
Industrialist Anil Ambani on Tuesday dared the petroleum ministry to take back the ownership of gas fields from Reliance Industries Ltd if it seriously believed that terms of the contract were violated by Mukesh Ambani-led firm, which he alleged was wanting to make a super-profit of Rs 50,000 crore (Rs 500 billion).
RIL said RNRL has maintained that the May 12, 2005 draft agreement between the RIL and NTPC should be the basis for fixing the price of gas from the KG Basin but it has ignored the provision for government approval.
'The ultimate goal for India as a country is to emerge as an economic super power. Unless India is strong, we will not have companies like Reliance around,' says Anil Ambani.
He claimed the NDA government bought the planes at Rs 1,600 crore a piece as against the Rs 526 crore for each aircraft fixed by the UPA.
Forwarding a letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, wherein the younger Ambani had sought a direction to the ministry of petroleum and natural gas 'to cease from overtly and covertly attempting to intervene in our commercial dispute with RIL," the PMO asked the ministry to examine the matter and submit their comments urgently.
According to a report in the Financial Times, two UBS bankers tried to create Pleuri, an offshore vehicle through which Ambani 'could illegally invest in securities at home'.
Anil Ambani's Reliance Natural Resources continued its attack on the government for allegedly favouring brother Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries Ltd on the sale price of gas from the Krishna Godavari D6 basin. At $4.2 per million British thermal unit (mBtu), the price fixed, there is a premium of more than 100 per cent over the gas available through the administered pricing mechanism, it said.
The Ambani brothers -- Mukesh and Anil -- have emerged among the biggest beneficiaries of the people's mandate in favour of the Congress-led UPA government as their group companies added close to Rs 90,000 crore (Rs 900 billion) of wealth in just five trading sessions after the results were declared.
After her husband Anil Ambani, Tina Ambani appeared in a Delhi court as a witness in the 2G spectrum case and CBI claimed that she was "deliberately withholding facts" which the judge found was "adverse" to the prosecution.
All eleven Rajya Sabha candidates in the fray in Uttar Pradesh, including businessman Anil Ambani, actress Jaya Bachchan and hotelier Lalit Suri, were declared elected unopposed in the biennial elections on Saturday.
Various corporate houses and private banks, including Aditya Birla Group, Hindustan Lever, Sahara Group, Bank of America, ANZ Grindlays, ICICI Bank, ABN Amro and HSBC
Mukesh Ambani has resigned from the board of his group's telecom arm, Reliance Jio and handed over the reins of the company to elder son Akash, a step seen as succession planning by the 65-year old billionaire. In a stock exchange filing, Reliance Jio Infocomm said the company's board at a meeting on June 27, "approved the appointment of Akash M Ambani, non-executive director, as chairman of the board of directors of the company." This comes after his father resigned with effect from close of working hours on June 27, it said.
The Financial Times reported that Ambani hopes to be a major shareholder in RCom and MTN after the firms combine in a reverse takeover. Ambani would pay an extra $4 to $5 billion in cash to bring his stake in MTN to his target level of 34.9 per cent, the ceiling beyond which he would be forced to make a general offer for MTN, the newspaper said in an article published in its online edition.
Under attack for alleged favours granted to Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries, director general of hydrocarbons, VK Sibal has sought protection from the government fearing a threat to his life from Anil Ambani group - a charge denied by ADAG.
Anil Ambani group firm RNRL first filed a case against RIL in Bombay high court in November 2006, alleging violation of a family pact about supply of gas from elder brother Mukesh led RIL's Krishna-Godavari gas fields. Since the financial year 2006-07, RNRL's legal and professional fees have surged nearly five-fold from Rs 3.12 crore (Rs 31.2 million) to Rs 15.27 crore (Rs 152.7 million) in the latest fiscal 2008-09.
Ambani brothers' split is proving to be a blessing in disguise for the investors as they have seen nearly doubling of their wealth in less than four months since Reliance Industries began trading on a post-demerger split basis.
RNRL had sought 28 mscmd of gas for 17 years at $2.34 per million British thermal units (mBtu) from Mukesh Ambani's RIL.
Film folk took time off to watch the award-winning play Life of Pi at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai.
RIL president and CEO (Oil and Gas) PMS Prasad, who met petroleum ministry officials to discuss under capacity production from the company's KG basin fields, said: "We have time till July 15 to decide. . . we are still evaluating our options."
Family members of Bharat Borge, a key witness in Anil Ambani's chopper sabotage case who was found dead under mysterious circumstances on a railway track in a Mumbai suburb, have sought a CBI enquiry into his death.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Friday took stock of the power ministry's ambitious plans to set up five ultra mega power projects of 4,000 MW each envisaging an investment of Rs 75,000 crore
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected division of gas under the Ambani family MoU and said that it was government's right to decide the price and utilisation of the fuel, which is a national asset.
The Bombay High Court on Monday asked Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries and Anil Ambani group firm Reliance Natural Resources Ltd to renegotiate within four months, a Gas Supply Master Agreement (GSMA) between them saying it has to be a "bankable" pact.
Ambani has bank deposits worth Rs 80.63 lakh and cash amounting to Rs 4.13 lakh, according to the declaration made by him at the time of filing his nomination in Lucknow.
Activist-turned-politician Arvind Kejriwal on Friday took on the issue of hawala money stashed in Swiss bank accounts.
A Delhi court on Monday directed Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani and RIL Vice Chairman Anil Ambani to appear before it on August 8 in connection with a case under the Official Secrets Act.
A teenager hailing from Jharkhand was arrested for allegedly posing as a Pakistani national and sending a death threat through an email to industrialist Anil Ambani. 17-year-old Rajesh Kumar Agarwal, a student from Dhanbad district of Jharkhand, was arrested from his home town and was being brought to Mumbai, Additional Police Commissioner (Crime) Deven Bharti said.
Days after the Supreme Court rejected his case for cheap gas for his group company, billionaire Anil Ambani has written a morale boosting letter to group employees saying the judgement though "disappointing" has safeguarded interest of RNRL shareholders.
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