PayU’s LazyPay and other non-Chinese apps banned by the government – Times of India

PayU’s LazyPay is among the apps that India’s IT ministry has blocked in the ongoing crackdown on lending apps. Earlier this week the government banned 94 lending apps that also included apps of Indian companies. Fintech Kissht, Faircent and Indiabulls Home Loans are also among the blocked apps. These apps as well as their websites have been taken down following a notice from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity). It is not clear why the IT ministry had issued such a directive.
“Due to unavoidable circumstances our website and app are currently unavailable via a few internet service providers. Please be assured that we are doing everything to resolve the issue,” a LazyPay spokesperson said in a statement. “Due to unavoidable circumstances our Website and App are currently unavailable via a few Internet Service Providers. Please be assured that we are doing everything to resolve the issue,” a spokesperson for PayU told ET.
Why the ban on apps
The IT ministry typically issues ban orders to internet service providers and telecom companies on the basis of inputs received from the Ministry of Home Affairs, which acts on the basis of multiple sources of intelligence, including from local police cyber cell departments. Over the past few years, online lending apps have come under the scanner of the government and law enforcement agencies.
Last month, the government informed Parliament that the apex bank RBI issued advisories to state governments to keep a check on “unauthorised digital lending platforms and mobile apps through their respective law enforcement agencies”.

138 betting apps and 94 loan lending apps banned on February 5
On February 5, the IT ministry started the process of banning and blocking 138 betting apps and 94 loan lending apps, “which reportedly have Chinese links on an “urgent” and “emergency” basis”. “The move came after a communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs,” it said.
The apps have been blocked under the Section 69 of the IT Act as they contain material which is prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India. As per reports these apps are the brainchild of Chinese nationals who hired Indians and made them directors in operation.
MIB advisory
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) issued an advisory, stating that since betting and gambling are illegal in most parts of the country, advertisements of these betting platforms, as well as their surrogates, are also illegal under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 2019, Cable TV Network Regulation Act 1995 and the IT Rules, 2021.
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