Sanchar Saathi: Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has dispelled the misconceptions surrounding the Sanchar Saath app. He stated that the app is completely optional. If you want to keep it, keep it; if you want to remove it, do so. The opposition is misleading people about it.

The government has clarified its position regarding the protests that erupted after phone companies were instructed to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app. Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia dispelled the confusion, stating that the opposition is creating confusion regarding the Sanchar app. It is completely optional; whether you want to keep it or not is up to you. It can be deleted. It is not a mandatory app.

Scindia stated that this was introduced solely to protect consumers. Earlier, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi had criticized the government's move, calling the app a spy app, and said that citizens have a right to privacy. Everyone should have the privacy to send messages to family and friends without the government's scrutiny.

#WATCH | Delhi | On the debate around Sanchar Saathi app, Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia says, "When the opposition has no issues, and they are trying to find some, we cannot help them. Our duty is to help the consumers and ensure their safety. The Sanchar… https://t.co/Kr3juNrGFq pic.twitter.com/npwm9R1Kf2

— ANI (@ANI) December 2, 2025

Scindia said that when the opposition has no issues, they are trying to find something, so we cannot help them. Our job is to help consumers and ensure their safety. The Sanchar Sathi app enables every consumer to ensure their safety. The Sanchar Sathi portal has been downloaded more than 200 million times, and the app has over 15 million downloads.

7.5 lakh stolen phones returned to users due to app

He further stated that Sanchar Sathi has disconnected approximately 17.5 million fraudulent mobile connections. Nearly 2 million stolen phones have been traced, and approximately 750,000 stolen phones have been returned to their customers, all thanks to Sanchar Sathi. This app does not enable spying or call monitoring. You can activate or deactivate it as desired. If you don't want Sanchar Sathi, you can delete it. This is optional.

Scindia explained, "This is about customer safety. I want to clear up any misconceptions. It's our duty to introduce this app to everyone. Whether or not to keep it on their device is up to the user. It can be removed from the mobile phone like any other app."

The opposition started the protest

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed mobile handset manufacturers and importers to ensure that all new devices come pre-installed with the fraud reporting app Sanchar Saathi within 90 days. This directive was issued on November 28.

This sparked protests from the opposition. CPI-M MP John Brittas said that the Sanchar Saathi app was a blatant invasion of people's privacy and a violation of the Supreme Court's 2017 Puttaswamy judgment.

What communication companion app?

Sanchar Sathi is a citizen-centric initiative of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India. The government claims it aims to empower mobile users, strengthen their security, and increase awareness about government schemes. The government says it will help protect people from fraud.

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