Government warns Google after removal of 10 Indian apps from Play Store, insists on no delisting allowed
The Indian government has expressed strong disapproval of Google’s recent removal of 10 Indian apps from the Google Play Store, stating that it will not be tolerated. The dispute revolves around the non-payment of service fees by these apps, such as Bharat Matrimony and Naukri, leading to their delisting. A meeting has been called for next week between the government, Google, and the affected startups to address the escalating issue. The government has firmly stated that “delisting cannot be permitted”.
The government takes a strong position
In an interview with PTI, IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized the critical role of the startup ecosystem in the Indian economy and stated that their fate cannot be subject to the decisions of big tech companies. Vaishnaw stated, “India is very clear, our policies are very clear… our startups get the protection they need.”
India has seen significant growth in its startup ecosystem, with over a million startups and over 100 unicorns within ten years. Minister Vaishnaw emphasized the need to channelize the energy of youth and entrepreneurs and stressed that it cannot be dictated by the politics of big technology companies.
In response to the removal of Google apps, the minister revealed plans to meet with Google and the developers of the removed apps to find a solution. He categorically said: “I have already called Google… I have already called the developers of the removed apps, we will meet them next week. This cannot be allowed. This type of removal cannot be allowed.”
“I tell Google… Our entrepreneurial energy… startups, look at the whole startup India program, 10 years ago we had virtually nothing and today we have over 1,00,000 startups, over 100 unicorns… this is something… our youth energy, the energy of entrepreneurs, the energy of talented people, which has to be channelized perfectly well, it cannot be left to any big technology policy,” the minister told PTI.
Reason for uninstalling apps
The ongoing controversy stems from Google imposing a service fee of 11-26 percent on in-app payments following the Competition Commission of India (CCI) order to scrap the earlier 15-30 percent fee system. Google continued to delist apps that refused to comply with the new fee structure after the Supreme Court denied the companies behind these apps interim relief.
While concerned companies like Bharat Matrimony and Kuku FM expressed their displeasure over Google’s actions, the government is gearing up to safeguard the interests of Indian startups. The meeting scheduled for next week is expected to pave the way for a solution to the escalating tensions between the government, Google and the startups involved.
