Google starts restoring Indian apps after meeting with govt: Report
A day after Google delisted several prominent Indian applications from its Play Store, the tech giant agreed to restore them on Saturday after a meeting with Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, news platform NDTV said in a report. The development comes as some applications like Naukri, 99acres, and Naukrigulf are already back on the Play Store.
Earlier, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw gave a stern warning to Google over the delisting of Indian applications and said India’s policy is very clear around the protection of its startups. “India is very clear, our policy is very clear…our startups will get the protection that they need,” Ashwini Vaishnaw said.
“I have already called Google…I have already called the app developers who have been delisted, we will be meeting them next week. This cannot be permitted…This kind of delisting cannot be permitted,” Vaishnaw added.
The California-headquartered tech giant decided to remove 10 mobile applications from its Play Store on Friday accusing the companies behind them of “non-compliance with billing policies.” The delisted applications included some well-known names like Bharatmatrimony, Shadi.com, Naukri, etc.
Google’s action was condemned by the Indian corporate leaders, who requested the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to step in against the “anti-competitive” behavior of the technology company.
Popular Shark and Shadi.com founder Anupam Mittal called it a dark day for the Indian internet. “Today is a dark day for India’s Internet. Google has delisted major apps from its app store even though legal hearings are underway @CCI_India & @indSupremeCourt Their false narratives & audacity show they have little regard for 🇮🇳 Make no mistake – this is the new Digital East India Co. and this #Lagaan must be stopped!” Anupam Mittal said in a post on X.
Google’s Controversial Billing Policy
The matter revolves around a billing policy of Google where the tech giant vows to charge an 11% to 26% fee on in-app payments. India’s corporate leaders have protested against these charges and complained about the same to the Competition Commission of India (CCI).
Google has claimed that the fee it is charging from the applications listed on Play Store is the lowest among the major markets of the world. Moreover, the tech giant claims that the company is charging fees only on the sale of digital goods, which accounts for less than 3% of developers in India.
Indian startup leaders call the move another unfair practice by the US tech giant and even talked about India’s own mobile application store.
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Published: 02 Mar 2024, 05:18 PM IST
Ganesh
http://ganesh@finplay.inFinance enthusiast, Mutual fund expert.