A day after Google removed some Indian startup apps from Play Store over billing policy, IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said it cannot be permitted.
Talking to PTI, the minister said the government has called Google and the affected startups for a meeting next week. "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," he told the agency.
Vaishnaw said the fate of startup ecosystem, which is key to the Indian economy, cannot be left to any tech giants to decide.
This comes after Google delisted some apps, including Bharat Matrimony, Shaadi.com, Kuku FM, Naukri and Shiksha, over non-payment of service fees. Google imposes a fee of 11 to 26 per cent on in-app payments after anti-competition body CCI ordered scrapping of an earlier system of charging 15 to 30 per cent.
"India is very clear, our policy is very clear...our startups will get the protection that they need," the minister asserted.
"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.
