India, March 25 -- The government has blocked 652 mobile applications over concerns related to data security and "other malpractices," the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Minister of State for MeitY Jitin Prasada said the blocking was carried out under Section 69A of the IT Act, which allows the government to restrict access to online content in the interest of sovereignty, security and public order. However, the government's response did not address several specific questions raised by Gandhi. The government did not provide a list of Chinese-origin apps that may still be operating in India under rebran...