The government of India has cut off its access to its Internet service after nearly six months, and people across the country are having to resort to VPNs and other tools to access their files and data.
Government spokesman Prakash Javadekar said the government has “decided to cancel all internet services” to people in “non-essential industries.”
He said in a statement that this was in response to “significant threats” to the country’s critical infrastructure.
The statement came hours after the government decided to shut down services to government offices, including the Supreme Court, the Information Technology Ministry and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Government websites have also been down since March 25, and the government’s mobile app is also down.
In a statement on Friday, Javadek said the decision was made to “remove all barriers to economic growth and job creation, including a reduction in prices, and reduce the cost of living.”
The government, which has already cut the salaries of all public servants and cut pensions, has said that this will save money for the government.
The decision comes after the National Democratic Alliance government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, slashed salaries and pensions of public servants, cut pensions and laid off hundreds of thousands of workers.
Javadek, however, said the cuts would only affect the government and not the people.
The government has said it will not shut down the country and said that it would continue to work towards its “promised outcomes.”
The statement did not say what those promised outcomes were.
Javid had said in March that he would make the government of the country run more efficiently.
He had said the reforms would help India become more competitive in the global economy.