Indian apps are back in play, but can they compete?

THE UNION GOVT'S ENDORSEMENT OF HOMEGROWN APPS SIGNALS A STRATEGIC SHIFT ROOTED IN THREE CONCERNS -DATA SOVEREIGNTY, ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE, AND GEOPOLITICAL RESILIENCE

- Vishal Mathur

Another 'swadeshi' moment is unfolding for Indian tech platforms, fuelled by renewed government backing and growing data sovereignty concerns. While cautionary tales from previous attempts remain, founders insist homegrown apps now benefit from better underlying technology and analysts point to greater understanding of the imperative to break big tech monopolies. But can domestic alternatives genuinely challenge global giants this time?

The spotlight returned to homegrown apps after senior ministers began publicly adopting Chennai-based Zoho Corp's services. On September 22, Union minister for electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw posted on X: "I am moving to Zoho-our own swadeshi platform for documents, spreadsheets and presentations.' A week later, commerce minister Piyush Goyal wrote: "So proud to be on Arattai, a made-in-India messaging platform that brings India closer." On October 8, home minister Amit Shah announced: "I have switched to Zoho Mail."

These endorsements signal a strategic shift rooted in three interconnected concerns-data sovereignty, economic independence, and geopolitical resilience - at a time when platforms like Google's Android and Chrome, Meta's WhatsApp, and Elon Musk's X dominate India's digital landscape.

"In today's digital economy, winner-takes-all dynamics dominate. Yet there is no permanence to market positions-stagnation invites disruption, and innovation always breeds new challengers," explains Prabhu Ram, vice-president for industry research group at CyberMedia Research. "The renewed push for Indian apps is shaped as much by opportunity as by policy and geopolitics."

Ram notes that as India tightens national security provisions, data sovereignty concerns are pushing ministries to adopt local platforms. A government that built the Unified Payments Interface sees an opportunity to extend this localisation model into consumer and enterprise applications.

Beyond patriotic sentiment