MUMBAI: The government wants India’s digital future to speak a little more Indian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked ministries and government departments to encourage the use of Indian digital, artificial intelligence and messaging platforms, with data safety among the considerations.
The direction emerged from Modi’s interaction with government secretaries on July 22, 2026. In a letter dated July 29, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan listed 23 action points arising from the meeting, including a call for ministries and departments to promote domestic platforms such as Zoho, Sarvam and Arattai.
The push places homegrown technology at the centre of a wider government agenda around digital capability and self-reliance. Sarvam, the Bengaluru-based AI startup, has been part of the government’s efforts to develop indigenous artificial intelligence capabilities. In April 2025, it was selected under the IndiaAI Mission to develop India’s sovereign large language model, with work focused on reasoning, voice capabilities and Indian languages.
Sarvam has also partnered with UIDAI on generative AI-powered voice services for Aadhaar, including multilingual support and fraud alerts.
The latest direction follows earlier government efforts to encourage Indian technology alternatives. In October 2025, Union ministers publicly backed domestic products, including Zoho’s software and its messaging platform Arattai, as alternatives to widely used foreign technology services.
The 23-point plan, however, stretches well beyond technology. It calls for making Viksit Bharat 2047 a broader public movement while putting greater emphasis on youth participation, sports and skills.
Among the proposed measures is the integration of skill-based courses into school curricula, alongside a review of Industrial Training Institute (ITI) programmes. The plan also calls for mapping global demand for skilled workers and strengthening links between industry and academia.
Agriculture is another key focus, with proposals to reform agricultural education, expand irrigation to support crop diversification and train students in government schemes that could help farmers generate additional income.
The government also wants to build greater domestic capacity to manufacture complex machinery, strengthen in-house expertise within government and undertake reforms across rules and processes.
The action points further extend to the pharmaceutical sector, indicating that the technology push forms part of a broader attempt to strengthen domestic capabilities across several areas of the economy.
Taken together, the 23-point agenda links the government’s technology ambitions with its wider development goals from homegrown AI and digital platforms to skilled workers, stronger manufacturing and agricultural diversification. The message from the Centre is clear: the road to Viksit Bharat 2047 is expected to run not only through policy, but increasingly through capabilities built at home.
