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India's 'Swadeshi' Push Gains Momentum, But Koo's Shutdown Highlights Challenges

India's 'swadeshi' movement sees success with Zoho and Arattai. However, Koo's shutdown raises questions about the challenges Indian companies face in competing with global tech giants.

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1 min read
In this image we can see a laptop, on the screen, we can see some applications.
In this image we can see a laptop, on the screen, we can see some applications.

India's 'Swadeshi' Push Gains Momentum, But Koo's Shutdown Highlights Challenges

India's push for 'swadeshi' products gained momentum recently, with the government encouraging citizens to use domestic alternatives to foreign goods and services. However, the shutdown of Indian social media platform Koo, despite government promotion, underscores the complexities of this initiative.

In a significant move, information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw chose Indian software Zoho and MapmyIndia over global giants Microsoft and Google for a recent presentation. This decision aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to Indians to reduce their reliance on foreign products. The commerce and education ministers have also endorsed Zoho's messaging app, Arattai, which gained substantial popularity with over 400,000 downloads in September and over 100,000 daily active users.

Zoho, co-founded by Sridhar Vembu, offers cheaper alternatives to cloud-based software tools, making it an attractive domestic option. However, the road to replacing established foreign brands like Google and Microsoft is not smooth. Despite government promotion, Koo shut down last year, indicating that state patronage alone may not be enough for Indian companies to succeed. Several major foreign tech companies have shown reluctance to support India's push for indigenous products, citing deep-rooted user preferences for their brands and challenging economic conditions for Indian competitors.

While India's 'swadeshi' movement has seen some success with apps like Arattai, the shutdown of Koo serves as a reminder of the hurdles Indian companies face in replacing global tech giants. The government's promotion of domestic alternatives is a step in the right direction, but it is clear that more support and consumer acceptance are needed for Indian products to truly thrive.

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