The government announced on Monday that 87 illegal loan-lending apps have been blocked after completing the required procedures. It stated that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has the authority to restrict public access to information under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. According to Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra, MeitY has so far blocked 87 unlawful loan apps under this provision. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, he added that regulatory steps such as inquiries, inspections of financial records, and investigations under the Companies Act, 2013 are periodically carried out against various companies, including those involved in online lending through such apps. He said that whenever violations of the Companies Act are detected, suitable legal action is taken. The Companies Act is administered by the corporate affairs ministry.

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