The government of India’s decision to ban 59 Chinese apps has stirred quite a reaction from various quarters. Popular apps like TikTok, UCBrowser, WeChat are amongst the list and some of them were widely used by the people of the country. Ever since the coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown that followed has changed the way many professionals work. Technology has played a pivotal role — be it work from home or online classes or digital payments. Certain experts feel that this could be the ideal opportunity for Indian startups and perhaps their time to shine.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, CEO and founder Paytm, said that this could bring a “digital revolution.” He took to Twitter and said, “Bold step in the national interest. A step towards Atmanirbhar App ecosystem. Time for the best Indian entrepreneurs to come forward and build the best by Indians, for Indians!”
Debjani Ghosh, president of NASSCOM, feels that it is the right time for government and industry to focus on build for India movement. She tweeted, “No better time than now for Indian start ups to raise their innovation game! Also the perfect time for gov't n industry to amp up the "build for India n scale globally" movement with focus on Innovation, Policy, Funding, Trust n Security.”
Varun Saxena, Founder, Bolo Indya, said that he invites all TikTok stars to his app to create content. Users, as per Saxena, were spending more than 39 minutes per day on the app before the ban. "We invite all the TikTok stars from India to be the part of fast growing Bolo Indya community. We are pleased to have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of millions of TikTok stars and provide them the platform to build on their social capital and convert it to financial independence.”
He further said that, “we stay committed to Indian government’s guidelines on UGC platforms, Data security and promoting Indian ethos, values, culture and heritage in the content that stays on the platform.”
Another homegrown video-only social app, Public, which claims to have over 50 million users, welcomed the government’s move. “We have immense talent and resources in India and the vacuum created by this ban is a great opportunity for Indian app makers to launch products that have the potential to do well globally. It will also make users more vigilant in checking what permissions they have given to apps as smartphones store sensitive information,” says Azhar Iqubal, founder and CEO of Public.
Keshav Murugesh, group CEO, WNS Global Services and ex-chairman of NASSCOM, said that companies can create robust alternatives. “The ban of 49 apps is a huge opportunity for startup Entrepreneurs and Companies to create robust alternates that are Made in India for the world. During lockdown, India ( Govt, companies and education) has been enabled thanks to IT,” he said in a tweet.
Naveen Tewari, founder InMobi, said that the ban shows that India cares for it citizens. “ The ban indicates the need to work and operate within the laws, culture and values of any country. The ban is not a reflection of India’s changing policies, but certainly showing care for its citizens,” he said in a tweet.
Citing examples of apps like Roposo and Glance Screen he said that “This ban creates a huge gap in the digital landscape of India, which every Indian entrepreneur should try to fulfill & let its citizens not feel any vacuum,” and that Indians should experience “great” Indian products.
Nakul Saxena, director, public policy, iSPIRIT, termed it as a “bold move” which will give opportunities to Indian companies.
Top Comment
Prem Thakkar
(1389 days ago)
whatever discussion China does.. however sweet it speaks to lift the Ban.. my request to Government is not to melt and continue with the Ban on Chinese Apps.. also request all to support the Ban