As more of our lives spent working, banking, business task online, so is the vulnerability around our smartphones are growing immensely. From fraudulent scam calls to phone thefts and tempered devices, staying safe and guarded often feels overwhelming.

That’s where Sanchar Saathi, created by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), guard us — a single platform app built to help common Indian individuals safeguard themselves every day.

Here’s how it helps:

1. Report Fraud Calls and Messages — ‘Chakshu’

If you receive dubious calls, SMS or WhatsApp messages claiming to be from:

a. Banks or government offices
b. Police or telecom authorities
c. Fake investment or trading schemes
d. KYC updates or payment alerts.

you can easily report them through Chakshu. This helps stop scams before they spread to others.

2. Block or Track Your Lost Mobile Phone

Losing a phone can feel like losing your whole life.

Sanchar Saathi lets you:

a. Block your lost/stolen phone so nobody else can use it
b. Help generate a trace if someone tries to use it
c. Unblock it again when it’s found

This works across all Indian telecom networks

3.

Sometimes, unknown numbers are issued using your ID without your permission.
With this tool, you can:

✔ See how many mobile connections are linked to your name
✔ Report numbers you never took
✔ Cancel extra or misused SIMs

This protects your identity from being used for fraud.

4. Verify if Your Phone Is Genuine

Fake and cloned phones are common — and risky.
By typing your IMEI number, Sanchar Saathi detects whether your device is original, safe, and legally valid in India.

A must confirmation tool before buying a used phone!

5. Report International Calls That Pretend to Be Local

Fraudster often call from various other countries while showing a +91XXXXXXX number on screen.
These fraud calls:

a. Hide their real identity
b. Try to cheat people
c. Harm national security

Reporting them helps authorities deactivate such networks.

6. Find Your mobile Internet Service Provider

Not sure which Wireline Internet Service provider serves your area?
Simply enter your PIN code, address, or ISP name and get the instant details

This helps when choosing your internet provider or migrating your present internet service provider.

7. Verify Trusted Customer Care Contacts

Scammers often pretend to be from banks or companies.
This feature lets you:

✔ Check if a number is genuinely from the organization
✔ Confirm verified email IDs and website links

It’s a quick way to impersonate falling into a fraud trap.

Why Sanchar Saathi Matters

India’s digital growth is fast — but so are the growing cyber threats and scam.
Sanchar Saathi gives every smartphone user simple tools to stay protected:

a. Stops scammers from misusing your identity
b. Prevents lost devices from being misused or re-sold
c. Helps curb cloned & illegal phones
d. Gives peace of mind when communicating online

The government has even directed phone makers to pre-install Sanchar Saathi on new smartphones, so people can safeguard all these
protections from day one.

A Safer Digital India, A Surging Digital India

Sanchar Saathi is a very important security safeguard app — it facilitate real time fraud prevention for every Indian who posses a mobile phone.

By staying alert and using this app, we can mitigate scam, fraud, reduce theft, and build a more safe digital India together.

Opposition’s  “Snooping” “Big Boss” “Tracker” Privacy Rhetoric Against Sanchar Saathi App

The Government Department Of telecommunication’s (DoT) directive to all mobile handset manufacturers and importers to sell pre installed Sanchar Saathi app in all new devices within 90 days, has drawn as expected a sharp privacy rhetoric from the Oppositions.

1. “The Modi government’s diktat to all mobile manufacturers to install Sanchar Saarthi app on all new and existing phones is a brazen attack on individual privacy and liberty. No democracy in the world has ever attempted to do so.

The notification issued by the government has no mention of seeking individual consent to install the app or providing the option to delete it at any time. @AamAadmiParty condemns such gross dictatorial actions and demands immediate withdrawal of the notification“
stated by Arvind Kejriwal on X.

While Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said he would speak in the debate in the House about it, his sister and Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called it a “snooping app”.

2. “#SancharSaathi app is yet another addition to the long list of attempts by the BJP to strangulate the voice of the people.
Modi Govt’s unilateral directions to preload this app without taking into confidence various stakeholders and citizens is akin to dictatorship.
Why does the Govt want to know what citizens talk with their family and friends?” stated by Mallikarjun Kharge on X.

3. Big Brother cannot watch us. This DoT Direction is beyond unconstitutional.
The Right to Privacy is an intrinsic part of the fundamental right to life and liberty, enshrined in Article 21 of the Constitution.
A pre-loaded government app that cannot be uninstalled is a dystopian tool to monitor every Indian. It is a means to watch over every movement, interaction and decision of each citizen. This is part of the long series of relentless assaults on the Constitutional Rights of Indian citizens and will not be allowed to continue. We reject this Direction and demand an immediate rollback – stated by Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal on X.

4. Sanchar Saathi mobile application mandate to every mobile phone manufacturer as a permanent mobile feature by the GoI is nothing but another BIG BOSS surveillance moment. Such shady ways to get into individual phones will be protested and opposed & if the IT Ministry thinks that instead of creating robust redressal systems it will create surveillance systems then it should be ready for a pushback! –
stated by Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (UBT) on X.

Amid the massive opposition parties uproar surrounding the Centre’s directions to phone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all mobile devices, responding to the media’s queries, Government Of India – Dot Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has clarified that –

The digital security of every citizen of the country is our top priority. The ‘Sanchar Saathi’ app aims to enable everyone to protect their privacy
and remain safe from online fraud.

It is a completely voluntary and democratic system – users can activate the app and avail its benefits, or if they do not wish to, they can
easily delete it from their phone at any time.

Public trust in Sanchar Saathi is continuously growing.
– Over 200 million people have used the portal so far.
– Over 15 million users are connected to the app.
– Over 14.3 million mobile connections were disconnected when citizens selected ‘Not My Number’.
– 2.6 million mobile phones were traced, of which 72.3 million phones were successfully returned to citizens.
– 40.96 million fraudulent mobile connections reported by citizens were disconnected.
– 620,000 fraud-linked IMEIs have been blocked.

This initiative is a significant step towards strengthening protection, transparency and a customer-first approach.
@DoT_India

https://bharatnewsupdates.com/

In a detailed disclosure to Parliament, the Indian government confirmed a surge in GPS spoofing and GNSS interference affecting aircraft operations near key international airports — raising red flags over aviation navigation safety in the country.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, responding to Rajya Sabha questions, said incidents have been reported from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai since the DGCA mandated reporting of suspected navigation interference in November 2023.

Aircraft on approach to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) specifically experienced spoofing during satellite-assisted landings on Runway 10, prompting pilots to transition to pre-approved contingency procedures to maintain flight safety. Rest runways using conventional navigational aids operated without any disruption.

Special SOP Rolled Out for Rapid Reporting

To counter the growing frequency of alerts:

1. DGCA issued an advisory in late 2023.

2. A real-time reporting SOP was implemented on November 10, 2025.

3. Pilots and ATC must now file immediate alerts upon detecting irregular GPS signals.

Officials reiterated that India’s Minimum Operating Network (MON) ensures aircraft can safely operate even when satellite-based systems are degraded.

To identify the source of the rogue transmissions, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has brought in the Wireless Monitoring Organisation (WMO), which is deploying additional teams and analyzing signal-tracking data from aircraft and airport systems.

Cybersecurity threats are Under Government radar.

Naidu further stressed rising risks from malware and ransomware aiming Indian aviation infrastructure,
bearing in mind that cyberattacks might compound overall operational susceptibility, if left unchecked.

AAI is strengthening digital defenses to comply with guidelines issued by the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) and CERT-In, ensuring the integrity of air-traffic networks and communications systems.

Industry Perspective: A Wake-Up Call

Aviation experts say that while India’s layered safety system prevents operational breakdowns, frequent navigational interference highlights a growing security challenge as airports transition more heavily to satellite-guided procedures.

India joins a growing list of global aviation hubs — including those in the Middle East and Europe — confronting security risks linked to GNSS manipulation and radio-frequency interference.

FAQs: GPS Spoofing in Indian Aviation

Q1. What is GPS spoofing in aviation?
GPS spoofing involves broadcasting false positioning signals to mislead an aircraft’s navigation system. This can cause incorrect flight paths
or disrupt automated landing procedures.

Q2. Which airports in India are most affected?
Reports have come from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Chennai, with notable incidents around IGIA Delhi
during runway approaches.

Q3. Are flights still safe during such interference?
Yes. Pilots are trained to immediately revert to alternative navigation systems. India maintains a ground-based MON network to ensure
uninterrupted safety.

Q4. Is this a cyberattack?
The government has not publicly confirmed the source but has acknowledged parallel cybersecurity threats targeting aviation networks.

Q5. What measures are being taken right now?
The DGCA and AAI have enhanced SOPs, monitoring mechanisms, cyber defenses, and field deployments to locate and neutralize the
signals causing interference.