IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw switches to Zoho, in support of PM Modi's call for swadeshi

New Delhi: In an endorsement of the government’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (self-reliant India),

Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that he is moving to Zoho, a homegrown software platform for documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

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

The IT Minister decision as part of the Centre’s larger push for promoting indigenous technology and reducing dependence on foreign platforms.

Vaishnaw has used Microsoft’s PowerPoint product for slideshow presentations in the past.

The Minister’s announcement against the backdrop of trade negotiations with the United States, which has cumulatively imposed 50 per cent tariffs on goods imported to the country from India.

Responding to the IT Minister’s announcement, Zoho founder and CEO Sridhar Vembu expressed gratitude, writing.

“Thank you Sir, this is a huge morale boost for our engineers who have worked hard for over two decades to build our product suite. We will make you proud and make our nation proud. Jai Hind, " Vembu posted on X.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday emphasised the need to end the dependence on foreign products and called for buying products that are Made in India.

“Many foreign items have unknowingly become part of daily life, and citizens often do not even realise whether the comb in their pocket is foreign or indigenous,” Modi said in his nationally televised address on Sunday.

Tamil Nadu based Zoho is an Indian multinational technology firm best known for its comprehensive suite of web-based business tools and office productivity applications, catering to organizations of all sizes worldwide.

The company has more than $1 billion in annual revenue and operates in multiple countries, with offices in the US.

Founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu, it offers over 80 applications spanning sales, marketing, finance, HR, IT, analytics, and more—positioning itself as a “Swiss Army knife" of business software.

The company known for being an affordable and integrated alternative to platforms like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Salesforce.