"PUBG Was Banned Because...": Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a recent podcast with YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia talked about why the government decided to ban PUBG in India. During the discussion with Mr Allahbadia, the Minister of State for IT and Electronics said that PUBG was banned in India to safeguard the interest and rights of the citizens.

He said, "We have banned PUBG because it is our duty to all of you to keep the internet safe, to keep the internet trusted. While we love innovation, we love what youngsters all over the world are doing but we also have an obligation to make sure that things are not bad, things are not unsafe and things are not mistrusted."

He added, "So, there are aspects where we will intervene and say this is not good and we will layout transparently the criteria for why it's not good. We want to make sure that for 120 crore Indians, the internet is always safe and trusted."

Watch the video here:

Mr Chandrasekhar further said that BGMI has been unbanned, "So people who are very keen on the format of Battleground gaming are happy."

Further in the conversation, the minister also revealed that the government also wants to promote the development of games made by Indians that reflect the country's history and culture.

Mr Allahabadia also asked about intervening in games and gaming apps. The minister acknowledged that young Indians consider it a crude part of their life and lifestyle. "Gaming is part of the lifestyle of younger Indians, youngsters all over the world; and we don't want to play the old grumpy uncle or grandfather and come in the way," he said.

The minister also talked about the new gaming laws and how they will help Indian games grow. "We are creating a framework so that Indian games can grow."

The minister said that he is confident that within the next few years, the Indian game scenario will grow significantly with new laws and regulations.

"The Prime Minister and I want that in the next few years there are more Indian games that gamify Indian stories and scenarios. I am very confident that over the next three to four years, there will be multi-billion dollar gaming entrepreneurs and startups that come out of India," he said.