ALTT, ULLU among 25 OTT apps banned for obscene, vulgar content
New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI): The government has ordered the blocking of websites and apps of 25 OTT platforms, including Ullu, ALTT, and Desiflix, for having obscene, vulgar and in some cases, pornographic content.
Among the apps identified for violating various laws are ALTT, ULLU, Big Shots App, Desiflix, Boomex, Navarasa Lite, Gulab App, Kangan App, Bull App, Jalva App, ShowHit, Wow Entertainment, Look Entertainment, Hitprime, Feneo, ShowX, Sol Talkies, Adda TV, HotX VIP, Hulchul App, MoodX, NeonX VIP, Fugi, Mojflix, and Triflicks, officials said.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting took the action in consultation with the Ministries of Home, Women and Child Development, Electronics, Information Technology and Law, industry bodies FICCI and CII, and experts in the field of women and child rights.
Notifications have been issued to various intermediaries as per the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the IT Rules, 2021, to ensure that access to the concerned websites and apps is disabled.
Officials said content on these platforms included sexual innuendos, long portions of sexually explicit scenes without any storyline, theme or message in a social context.
The government had received complaints against these platforms from the National Commission on Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and from members of the public over the past year.
Earlier, the web series ‘House Arrest’ was taken down by Ullu in May, after intervention by the ministry.
Officials said all 25 platforms were asked, in September last year, to refrain from publishing obscene, vulgar and in some cases pornographic content, but they continued to publish such content.
They said five platforms, which were blocked earlier in March 2024, started publishing obscene content on new website domains.
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Rupee hits all-time low for second time in a week
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee depreciated 31 paise to settle at 91.99 against the US dollar on Wednesday, touching the lowest closing level for the second time in less than a week, amid increased month-end demand for the greenback.
Forex traders said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe offered quiet reassurance. However, increased month-end demand for the American currency as well as the ongoing geopolitical tensions dented investors' sentiments.
At the interbank foreign exchange, the rupee opened at 91.60 and touched an early high of 91.50, but pared all the gains to touch an intra-day low of 91.99 against the greenback.
The domestic unit settled 31 paise down, revisiting its lowest-ever closing level of 91.99 against the greenback. The Indian currency previously ended at this level on January 23 when it also hit its all-time intraday low of 92 against the US dollar.
On Tuesday, the rupee rebounded from its all-time low levels and gained 22 paise to close at 91.68 against the US dollar.
Analysts said the rupee opened higher as the US dollar index softened and a long-awaited trade breakthrough with Europe bolstered investor sentiment.
India and the European Union on Tuesday announced the conclusion of negotiations for the free trade agreement (FTA), under which a number of domestic sectors such as apparel, chemicals and footwear will get duty-free entry into the 27-nation bloc, while the EU will get access to the Indian market at concessional duty for cars and wines, an official said.
The deal has been dubbed the "mother of all deals" as it will create a market of about 2 billion people.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.07 per cent lower at 96.14.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.43 per cent lower at USD 67.28 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, Sensex jumped 487.20 points to settle at 82,344.68, while Nifty surged 167.35 points to 25,342.75.
Foreign Institutional Investors turned net buyers and purchased equities worth Rs 480.26 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.
