India is now seen to have begun emphasizing local apps as alternatives to western apps – as a way to further boost the development of local ecosystems and software. This move is also seen as a follow-up to the 50% tariff imposed by the United States on India.
Under this shift, ministers in India have begun to promote the use of local software. Among those promoted are Zoho as an alternative to Microsoft products, and MapMyIndia as an alternative to Google Maps. In addition, the Arattai app is also being promoted for messaging, as an alternative to WhatsApp.
However, Indian firms face their own challenges, especially in terms of funding in continuing to develop their products compared to western products and apps that have investors backing them.