Keypoints:
- ‘Mobile Seva app store’ will host more than 965 live apps from various domains and categories of public services.
- Government encourages private players to host these apps.
In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that, India’s first indigenously developed appstore named as ‘MOBILE SEVA APP STORE’ hosts more than 965 live apps from various domains and categories of public services.
On Thursday, the parliament was informed that, while encouraging private players to host apps, the government is keen in developing and strengthening its own mobile app store.
“While the government encourages private players to host apps, it is equally keen to develop and encourage its own mobile App Store,” Prasad said. He also added that the response has been good and the government wishes to strengthen it further.
While replying to a question that in the absence of country’s own digital application store, dependence on Google and Apple for digital services is creating problems in digital ecosystem and if the ministry would consider having either a single or separate digital store for Government and private apps, for self-reliance.
The minister also informed that India is the biggest user of mobile apps, and he also mentioned that Digital India programme coupled with encouragement being given to Indian innovators to create apps has become a big movement.
“You will be happy to know that India has become the top country in the use of mobile applications. But we have to expand further and I’m quite sure in the coming years, Indian mobile app platforms on hosting of mobile apps will surely give a tough competition to the international platforms,” he said.
“In our mobile government app, all have come on board and its total download is 8.65 crore. Therefore, it is an improvement in the right direction.
“We are encouraging Make in India apps for Indians. We started a very good Atmanirbhar Bharat mobile app innovation challenge in which 6,940 app developers came and we selected 25 in nine categories and also rewarded them,” he said.
“But we want more innovations to come from outside the government. And that’s what our whole policies are about,” he said.
“We have also stopped some apps which were having vulnerability as far as cybersecurity was concerned. Cybersecurity is very much in the focus of our operations,” he said.
“Mobile Seva App store, which is India’s first indigenously developed appstore, is hosting more than 965 live apps from various domains and categories of public services. Uploading and downloading of apps is free of cost and hassle free,” the minister said.
