Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnab on Saturday said Google's decision to remove some apps from its app store in India "cannot be allowed" amid the ongoing dispute over payment of service fees to the US firm.
Google on Friday removed several Indian apps from its Play Store, including Matrimony.com's popular India matrimony and job search app Naukri, saying the companies did not comply with its in-app payment guidelines.
Vaishnav said he has discussed with Google and will meet startups, which need protection in India.
Google takes action against 10 Indian apps for non-payment of Play Store fees
"This cannot be allowed. Such de-listing cannot be allowed," he said in a statement.
The removal sparked criticism from startups that have protested for years and legally challenged many of the US giant's practices, including app fees. Google said the fee helps develop and promote the Android and Play Store ecosystems.
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The dispute has centered on efforts by some Indian startups to block Google from imposing 11 percent-26 percent fees on in-app payments after the country's antitrust authorities ordered it not to implement the previous system of charging 15 percent-30 percent.
But after two Supreme Court decisions in January and February, Google was effectively allowed to go ahead with charging fees or removing apps.
Google said on Friday that some Indian companies have decided not to pay for the "huge value they get on Google Play".
The worst affected by the removal was Matrimony.com which saw more than 150 apps removed from the Play Store.
"All our apps have been removed and we are out of the Play Store and (ie) out of business," founder Murugavel Janakiraman told Reuters on Saturday. "If this continues in the long term, our revenue will decrease significantly."
InfoEdge, another affected company, saw its job search app Naukri and another real estate search app removed. Many of the company's apps have been restored, its founder told X on Saturday, without elaborating.
Google removed popular Indian payment app Paytm from its Play Store in 2020 citing some policy violations. The move led to company founders and the broader startup industry joining together to launch their app stores and challenge Google by filing legal cases.
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