On 7th February,2017 with only 2 hours notice, of about 740 workers, journalists and reporters of Ananda Bazar Patrika group of newspapers of Kolkata were retrenched.
This was first reported in December, 2016, but the news was systematically suppressed. It is learnt that The Telegraph and its associated newspapers are being taken over by a powerful business group.
It is also learnt that Reliance-Mukesh Ambani group is taking over the ownership of India’s perhaps biggest newspaper and a sentinel of the freedom struggle, The Hindustan Times from the 1st of April, 2017. Already Ambani is the owner of many of the TV channels including CNN-IBN.
The strengthening of Monopoly Capital in the newspaper industry is a great threat to the Freedom of the Press and will iead to the weakening of Democracy itself. This will only hasten the spread of Corporate-Communal Fascism in the country which has already reared its ugly head.. This is the time to give an urgent clarion call for a movement to bring about the regulation and control of Monopoly Capital. The big monopoly houses get every facility to invest, from land to raw materials, subsidised water and electricity and generous tax concessions. But there is no check on their regularly pre-empting scarce national resources, raising prices and restricting output. And there is absolutely no overseeing of their unwanted interference in politics and promoting economic policies contrary to public interest. Unfettered growth of industrial monopoly in the whole of industry, media, Press, transport, telecommunications, power generation and financial institutions is a great Danger to Indian Democracy. It needs to be curbed urgently with all the peoples’ might..
Aurobindo Ghose
General Secretary,
Peoples’ Rights Organisation
A Human Rights Body
E-mail : g_aurobindo@yahoo.com
Monopoly in every sector is increasing alarmingly. The big business groups like adanis are grabbing as many small firms or concerns as possible to increase their grip. The education sector, the oil sector, the manufacturing sector, etc have been shared amongst few business tycoons. Now, the media is not spared. Few business houses are owners of many channels and newspapers. The case of amrit Bazar Patricia or telegraph is a cause of concern. The purchase of news paper and retrenchment of large number of employees should be condemned. This is detrimental to democracy. The merger of print media will render many employees redundant and waste. The business houses, in order to maximize profits, would fire many employees and substitute them with technology. The journalists and reporters should protest this capitalist tendency and wage struggle to retain freedom of small media business .