IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that the startup ecosystem is key to the Indian economy and the fate of it cannot be left upto any big tech to decide.
Vaishnaw’s comments hold significance since Google on Friday began removing some apps from its Play Store in India over service fee disputes. Google went ahead with the withdrawal even after apps and well known startup founders cried foul.
“India is very clear, our policy is very clear…our startups will get the protection that they need,” Vaishnaw said in an interview with PTI. He added that the government will be meeting Google and other app developers who have been delisted next week to try and resolve the dispute.
“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,” the minister said.
“I will be telling Google…Our entrepreneurial energy…startups, look at the whole startup India programme, 10 years back we had practically nothing and today we have more than 1,00,000 startups, more than 100 unicorns…this is something…the energy of our youth, the energy of our entrepreneurs, energy of our talented people that has to be channelised fully well, it cannot be left to the policies of any big tech,” he added.
On Friday, Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani called for the setting up of India’s own mobile app store as a part of its ‘Digital Public Infrastructure’ after Google’s action against 10 companies in India. “Indian companies will comply – for now. But what India needs is an App Store / Play Store that is a part of Digital Public Infrastructure – like UPI and ONDC. The response needs to be strategic @PiyushGoyal @PiyushGoyalOffc,” Bikhchandani on X.
Hitesh Oberoi, managing director – Info Edge took to X to share that its apps Naukri India jobseeker, 99acres and Naukrigulf are back on the Google Play store.
Bikhchandani shared on X, “Many of the Info Edge apps are back on the play store. An effort very well led by Hitesh and the entire Info Edge team. People were up all night for this. Great crisis management.”
On March 1, Google warned it may remove the apps of 10 companies in India for not paying a service fee for the use of its Play Store platform in India. Separately, Reuters reported that Matrimony.com and InfoEdge-owned apps are among the apps that could get delisted.