'Sanchar Saathi Can Be Deleted': Minister Clarifies Amid "Big Brother" Row | Read

Amid the massive uproar surrounding the Centre's directions to phone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all phones sold in India, Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has clarified that mobile phone users will have the option to delete this app if they don't want to use it.

Responding to the media's questions on the new directions, Scindia said, "Don't activate it (Sanchar Saathi). If you want to keep it in your phone, keep it. If you want to delete it, do so. For example, when you buy a phone, many apps come pre-installed. Google Maps comes too. Now, if you don't want to use Google Maps, delete it."

Google Maps cannot be deleted from Android phones. It can, however, be disabled. Google Maps can, however, be deleted from iPhones.