'I am moving to Zoho': Ashwini Vaishnaw ditches foreign apps in Swadeshi tech shift

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced his switch to Zoho’s suite of productivity tools, calling on citizens to embrace “Swadeshi” platforms and support India’s tech ecosystem—a move seen as a strong endorsement of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission.

“I am moving to Zoho—our own Swadeshi platform for documents, spreadsheets & presentations,” Vaishnaw posted on X. “I urge all to join PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s call for Swadeshi by adopting indigenous products & services.”

The announcement aligns with the Centre’s wider push to promote homegrown technology and reduce reliance on foreign software. Zoho, headquartered in Tamil Nadu, has long positioned itself as India’s answer to global productivity giants.

Zoho CEO Sridhar Vembu welcomed the move, writing, “Thank you Sir, this is a huge morale boost for our engineers… We will make you proud and make our nation proud. Jai Hind.”

Vaishnaw’s shift comes days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during an interaction with traders in Arunachal Pradesh, reaffirmed his call to “buy Swadeshi and sell Swadeshi.” Merchants credited the government’s reforms, including GST rationalisation, with lowering raw material costs and boosting domestic manufacturing.

The Prime Minister also pointed to the impact of GST cuts in strengthening tourism, fisheries, and agriculture, reiterating his vision of a “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India).

Industry analysts see Vaishnaw’s move as both symbolic and strategic—demonstrating confidence in Indian platforms and nudging public and private users to reconsider their dependence on imported software.