Govt so far blocked 320 mobile apps

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Som Parkash informed the parliament that the government has so far blocked 320 mobile applications under a provision of the Information Technology Act in the interest of sovereignty, integrity, defence and security of the state and to ensure a safe, trustworthy and accountable internet for all its users.

In another written reply, he said India has received only USD 2.45 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China during April 2000 to December 2021. “China stands at 20th position with only 0.43 per cent share (USD 2.45 billion) in total FDI equity inflow reported in India during the period of April 2000 to December, 2021,” he added.

In a separate reply, the minister said that according to the government of the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Ministry of Home Affairs, industrial investment proposals worth about Rs 50,000 crore have been received by them.

Replying to another question, he said currently 146 central approvals across 21 ministries or departments are enabled to be applied through the National Single Window System (NSWS) portal. Last month, the government re-blocked 49 apps after they were found to have been re-launched after rebranding of earlier blocked apps.

All ministries and departments of the central government and concerned states have been requested to integrate their approval processes with the NSWS.