New Delhi: The central government on Monday banned 20 YouTube channels and two websites. These anti-India propaganda channels and websites are said to be handled from Pakistan. According to a report in the Economic Times, the decision was taken in response to changes in the revised Information Technology Act.

In a letter to YouTube and the telecom department, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apoorva Chandra had ordered immediate blockade of content and media outlets that threaten the country's unity and sovereignty. Sources close to the matter have revealed this on condition of anonymity.

The anti-India propaganda material was being circulated on the internet in collaboration with Pakistani intelligence agencies. Authorities say one of the groups spreading the false information is called New Pakistan. This YouTube channel has two million subscribers. It has been said that false information is being given on this channel about Kashmir, farmers' movement, Ayodhya case. This is the reason why banning orders have been issued on this channel.

The content on this channel was first flagged as offensive by security agencies. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting then ordered an inquiry into the matter. "This is the first time that emergency powers under the 2021 IT Rules have been used. Senior officials told ET that the authority was used to block anti-India propaganda websites.

The investigation revealed that these websites were being run from Pakistan. An official who is a member of the group investigating and reviewing the case said the investigation revealed that the content on the media was dangerous to the country's security. Of the 20 YouTube channels banned by India, 15 are owned by the New Pakistan group. Other banned channels include 'The Naked Truth', '48 News' and 'Junaid Halim Official'.

The videos on these channels included articles on Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pro-Taliban Kashmir, which had three million views. The total subscribers of all these channels are over 3.5 million. The investigation has revealed that the videos related to India have a total of more than 500 million views.

The investigation also revealed that fake videos related to the farmers' movement were uploaded on these channels. The videos were flagged off by security forces during the farmers' agitation. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online. The agitation on the Delhi border was called off after the Agriculture Act was repealed almost a year later.

The decision to ban these channels and websites will be submitted to the Inter-Departmental Committee within 48 hours. The committee will then take a decision in accordance with the new IT rules, officials said.