The Congress on August 30 raised the issue of several Chinese apps siphoning off ₹500 crore by duping lakhs of Indians through debt traps and questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keeping his “eyes closed” .
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh asked why the Modi Government had no strategy to tackle the scams.
Mr. Vallabh claimed an investigation between January and February 2021 had found more than 1,100 digital loan apps available across play stores and that the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) accepted that at least 600 such apps were operating illegally.
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“As per RBI, there was a jump of 12 times in loans on digital platforms between 2017 to 2020. Till now, 52 individuals in our country committed suicide due to blackmailing by these loan apps,” he told reporters, asking, “What is the Modi Government waiting for to act on such apps?”
“The incompetence of the Central Government and agencies has led to multiple cases of suicides due to such debt traps. Chinese loan app companies have siphoned off ₹500 crore from India through the hawala route. There has been no strategy, no focus by the Modi Government in evaluating priorities. Certain Chinese apps were banned in 2020 but the action on such apps has been lacklustre,” Mr. Vallabh said.
Training his guns on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh tweeted: “China first snatched India’s land, now it is collecting personal data of Indian citizens through loan apps. 52 people have lost their lives after being trapped in these apps. Why is the Prime Minister, who talks about showing red eyes to China, sitting with his eyes closed today.”
Those who require assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts may contact Sanjivini, Society for Mental Health suicide prevention helpline 011-4076 9002 (10 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., Monday-Saturday).
