Create alternatives to Chinese apps banned by Centre: HRD minister to IIT students

Union HRD Minister has urged various IIT students to come forwards and create a new mobile application as an alternative to the Chinese apps banned by the government.

Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has asked students of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to create new mobile applications as an alternative to the Chinese apps that have been banned by the Central government. 

During the launch of an online degree programme by the IIT Madras, BSc Degree in Programming and Data Science, the minister said, “It is a golden opportunity of our students, they should come forward and assure the nation that we do not need these apps, we are capable, we have the talent to create our own system, They should accept this challenge.”

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Alumni Council, a body of alumni from all 23 IITs has announced later in the day that it will be removing all the Chinese systems and software from all its initiatives including MegaLab for COVID-19.

“For the MegaLab, we had been using Chinese systems and software, but we will now shift towards using indigenous and low-cost technology. We have begun working on the same. We don’t expect this to delay the MegaLab’s launch, slated for August 15,” alumni council president, Ravi Sharma, said.

The MegaLab Mumbai was an initiative of the IIT Alumni Council to design and establish the largest genetic testing laboratory for Covid-19 and other infectious diseases like tuberculosis with an end-to-end capacity to carry out over 10 million tests a month.

Earlier, in an unprecedented move, the government banned 59 Chinese mobile applications, including popular social media platforms such as TikTok, Helo and WeChat, to counter the threat posed by these applications to the country’s “sovereignty and security,” as per a release issued by the centre.

Other prominent apps including file-sharing platform ShareIT, UC browser, CamScanner and shopping app Clubfactory, have been blocked amid rising tensions between the two neighbouring nations, India and China following clashes at the LAC (Line of Actual Control) in Ladakh on June 15.

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