The Government of India has imposed a ban on 118 more Chinese mobile applications, including the highly popular gaming app Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds, better known as PUBG. On Wednesday, September 2, the Narendra Modi-led BJP government issued a circular banning of these Chinese apps in India.
The step to ban these Chinese mobile apps is strategically timed by the central government. The tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has been increasing since the last three days when the Indian Army successfully recaptured the strategically located Black Top post near Finger 4 at the Pangong Tso Lake.
Sources confirm that the entire Chinese defense line along the Pangong Tso lake is now within the firing range of the Indian soldiers.
The PUBG game is among one of the most played games across countries. It has more than 600 million downloads and over 50 million active players globally. In India, PUBG has been a craze among the youth.
“The apps have been banned as they are engaged in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, the security of the state and public order,” a statement from the Ministry of Electronics and Information and Technology said.
Interestingly, the PUBG had recently announced the launch of its next-gen gaming era with its 1.0 version, along with global mobile esports tournament PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC) with a grand prize pool of $2 million (about Rs 15 crore).
The other banned apps include names like WeChat Work and WeChat reading mobile apps. The decision to this effect was taken by the Information and Technology Ministry on Wednesday.
“This move will safeguard the interests of crores of Indian mobile and internet users. This decision is a targeted move to ensure safety, security, and sovereignty of Indian cyberspace,” the statement added.
Earlier in June this year, the Indian government had banned 59 Chinese mobile apps, including TikTok, UC Browser, Weibo, Baidu Map, and Baidu Translate saying they were prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country.
