The Department of Telecommunications made a swift U-turn on Wednesday, scrapping its November 28 order that required smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on new devices and via software updates. Citing surging user adoption, officials noted over 1.4 crore downloads, including 6 lakh in a single day, signaling strong “jan bhagidari” or public participation. Launched in 2023 by the DoT, this citizen-centric platform has already traced and blocked over 26 lakh lost or stolen mobile handsets, preventing misuse across all telecom networks nationwide.
What sparked the initial mandate?
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
Rising cyber frauds, including phishing scams, impersonation calls, and cloned IMEIs, prompted the push for broader access. Sanchar Saathi empowers users to report suspicious communications through its Chakshu feature, flagging fraud calls, SMS, WhatsApp messages, and malicious links directly from call logs. Users can instantly block lost or stolen phones using the 15-digit IMEI number, enabling nationwide traceability and recovery. The app also lets subscribers check all mobile connections registered in their name, detect unauthorized numbers, verify handset authenticity to avoid fakes, and report international spoof calls masquerading as local +91 numbers. An added utility helps locate trusted internet service providers by PIN code and confirms genuine helpline details for banks and institutions. Available on Android, iOS, and the sancharsaathi.gov.in portal in multiple Indian languages, it prioritizes privacy: no access to personal calls, messages, or data.
The rollback followed privacy concerns and backlash in Parliament, with Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia clarifying the app’s voluntary nature enhances security without intrusion. Since inception, it has terminated 30 million fraudulent connections and aided in recovering 7 lakh devices.
