Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently declared his decision to transition to Zohos suite of office productivity tools, aligning himself with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s strong push for Swadeshi, or indigenous, technology adoption. By publicly embracing Zoho—a homegrown platform for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations—Vaishnaw is reinforcing the government’s vision of self-reliance and urging citizens and institutions alike to favor Indian-made digital products over foreign alternatives.

Vaishnaw shared his move on social media platform X, emphasizing the quality and capabilities of Zoho’s office suite. He praised its features as “phenomenal,” particularly highlighting Zoho Writer, Sheets, and Presentation. His call is part of Prime Minister Modi’s broader appeal to make the festive season a celebration of Swadeshi by choosing local products and services. The minister’s endorsement symbolizes a strategic nudge encouraging both individual users and businesses to reconsider their dependency on global giants like Microsoft and Google in favor of indigenous solutions.

Zoho’s CEO and founder Sridhar Vembu warmly welcomed Vaishnaw’s announcement, calling it a huge morale boost for the engineers who have spent over two decades building the company’s comprehensive product suite. Vembu expressed confidence that Zoho’s growing adoption represents India’s rising prowess in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) domain, aligning neatly with the government’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). Zoho, headquartered in Chennai, is widely recognized not only for its affordability and privacy-focused approach but also for its AI-powered advanced features, which compete robustly on the global stage.

This move by Vaishnaw reinforces the narrative that technology sovereignty is an essential component of national development. It reflects the governments consistent drive to reduce reliance on foreign software ecosystems, broaden digital self-reliance, and support domestic innovation hubs. By choosing Zoho, Vaishnaw sets a powerful example for government departments, startups, small and medium enterprises, and everyday users to champion indigenous technology, thereby strengthening India’s digital infrastructure and ecosystem.

The “Swadeshi” call is not new but has gained momentum recently with government initiatives like GST reforms simplifying business, and campaigns promoting locally made goods to boost economic growth. Vaishnaw’s shift to Zoho adds significant credibility to these efforts by marrying policy with personal example, encouraging a cultural change towards embracing Indian technology products with pride and trust.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Deccan Herald.