India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has begun the process of banning and blocking 138 betting apps and 94 loan-lending apps with Chinese links, reported on Sunday, citing sources.
The home ministry has recommended banning MeitY and blocking these apps by next week under Section 69 of India’s IT Act, the report said.
The IT Act allows the government to block public access to content, inter alia, in the interest of national security. Orders issued under this section are generally confidential in nature.
MeitY and the Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Since the start of political tensions with China in 2020 following a border clash, India has banned popular Chinese apps in the country including TikTok and WeChat Messenger.
India blocked access to several Chinese mobile apps last year, citing security concerns, following which China raised concerns about bilateral economic and trade cooperation.
