COVID-19 | Aarogya Setu app meant for contact tracing, information dissemination; privacy been main concern: NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant

The recently-launched Aarogya Setu app is meant for contact tracing and information dissemination and is top class with respect to privacy, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant told CNBC-TV18 in an interview.

Kant said privacy has been the government's main concern. He added that as we gradually open up the economy, we need to move a step further with the app and combine it with big data and artificial intelligence.

Watch: What are India's new FDI rules and why is China furious over it?

"It is important that we don't allow this (virus) to spread from urban to rural areas. Tracking, containing, quarantining is very critical," the NITI Aayog CEO said. He suggested that self-assessment tools and an e-pass need to be put in place so that when people move from 'red zones' to 'green zones', they can use these passes.

On the subject of the newly notified foreign direct investment (FDI) rules, Kant said, "The intention [behind the note] is not to stop investments; just greater due diligence is required. It’s the government’s job to protect the companies while they are going through distress and we don’t want them to sell cheap."

He added that there is no need for any country to overreact to this, pointing out that the notification does not talk about anything aside from FDI.

Read | FDI policy revision impact: Chinese investments in India may see a decline