The government has so far blocked 320 mobile applications under a provision of the Information Technology (IT) Act to ensure a secure, reliable and accountable Internet for all its users, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, State Minister for Commerce and Industry Som Prakash also said that these mobile applications were blocked in the interest of state sovereignty, integrity, defense and security.
In February, 49 apps were blocked again because they were reportedly re-launched after rebranding previously blocked apps, he said.
“In line with the goal of ensuring a secure, reliable and accountable Internet for all its users, the government has so far blocked 320 mobile applications under the provisions of Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000,” Prakash said.
In another written reply, he said India received only 2. 2.45 billion (approximately Rs 18,701 crore) in foreign direct investment (FDI) from China between April 2000 and December 2021.
“China ranks 20th with only 0.43 per cent share ($ 2.45 billion) in total FDI equity inflows reported to India between April 2000 and December 2021,” he added.
In a separate reply, the minister said that according to the Union Territory Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the proposal for industrial investment of around Rs 50,000 crore had been accepted by them.
Answering another question, he said that at present 146 central approvals in 21 ministries / departments are able to implement through the National Single Window System (NSWS) portal.
“Single window systems from 14 states / UTs have been integrated with the NSWS portal, giving these states / UTs access to an application with a single login ID,” he said.
All Ministries and Departments of the Central Government and the States concerned have been requested to integrate their approval processes with the NSWS.
“Currently, the KYA (Know Your Approval) module contains details of more than 3,400 approvals across 32 ministries / departments and 16 states / UTs,” said Prakash.