India is planning on launching its very own app store that will act as an alternative to the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. This move arrives to boost the country’s self reliance.

The current Modi government might seek to ramp up its Mobile Seva App Store as reported by the local news agencies. An ETNow report quoted the government stating that “Android has a 97% market share in India. So, we should intervene and handhold Indian startups.” Furthermore, the government is also considering making the app store mandatory for Android phones to arrive with this app pre-installed.

Notably, the news also arrived after numerous technology entrepreneurs joined hands to petition to the government for support regarding an overarching Indian digital app ecosystem to rival major tech giants like Google and Apple. In a meeting earlier this week, the ways to establish a large scale platform that hosts local apps was also discussed to break the monopoly in the current market.

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This group includes various founders, like Paytm’s Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Yashish Dahiya of Policybazaar, and Murugavel Janakiraman of Matrimony.com, which are a few major online platforms in the country. They will also be seeking the country’s banking regulator as well, including the finance ministry to seek redressal for Google’s recent move that aims to raise the commission on purchase made on its app store.

India

Murugavel Janakiraman stated that “If India has net neutrality, why can’t we have app neutrality. A body monitored by the government can ensure app neutrality, fairness, and openness.” While other notable figures also cited government support to help grow the indigenous brands and startups. It remains to be seen how Apple and Google respond to this news.

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