India to ban Chinese-linked betting and loan lending apps

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has begun a process to ban and block 138 betting apps and 94 loan lending apps with Chinese links, India's ANI reported on February 5, citing sources.

The Ministry of Home Affairs recommended the MeitY ban and block these apps by the coming week under Section 69 of India's IT law, Reuters reports.

The IT law allows the government to block public access to content in the interest of national security, among other reasons. Orders issued under the section are generally confidential in nature.

MeitY and the Ministry of Home Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Since the start of political tension with China in 2020 following a border clash, India has banned popular Chinese apps in the country including TikTok and WeChat Messenger.

India last year blocked access to several Chinese mobile apps citing security concerns which was followed by China expressing concerns over bilateral economic and trade cooperation.