India has blocked more than 200 applications with ties to China, the government said. According to reports, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) took the initiative after the Ministry of Home Affairs made the suggestion.
Amid a major crackdown on loan-lending apps, the government of India has ordered to ban around 230 Chinese apps, including 138 betting apps and 94 loan lending apps, on "urgent" and "emergency" basis.
According to reports, the government started looking at as many as 288 Chinese apps about six months ago. It was discovered that these applications may have had access to the private information of Indian citizens.
The move was taken after confirming that these apps attract Section 69 of the IT Act as they contain material, which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India. The measure was made in response to many reports of extortion and harassment of borrowers of minor loans through the mobile apps operated by such organisations and individuals.
Desperate people are lured into taking on a loan and then jacked up the interest by up to 3,000 per cent annually, according to reports. The matter came into the spotlight after a spate of suicides, particularly in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, by those who opted for such loans or lost money to betting apps.
