Home Minister Amit Shah Adopts Zoho Mail in Push for Swadeshi Digital Initiative

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Wednesday that he has officially switched his email service to Zoho Mail, a homegrown email platform based in India. He shared his new email address, amitshah.bjp@zohomail.in, through a post on X (formerly Twitter), urging people to use it for future correspondence. Shah emphasized the change, requesting everyone to take note of his new address for official communication, reflecting a clear shift towards adopting Indian digital solutions for government correspondence. His announcement marked another significant step in the government’s ongoing push for swadeshi, or homegrown, technology.

In his post, Shah wrote, “Hello everyone, I have switched to Zoho Mail. Kindly note the change in my email address. My new email address is amitshah.bjp@zohomail.in. For future correspondence via mail, kindly use this address. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.” The message not only informed the public and officials about the change but also subtly highlighted the government’s intention to encourage the use of Indian software and platforms over foreign alternatives.

Zoho Mail, the platform Shah has adopted, is a product of Zoho Corporation, a Made-in-India software-as-a-service (SaaS) company headquartered in Chennai. Zoho provides a suite of productivity and collaboration tools and is widely used by businesses across India and globally. In the email domain, Zoho Mail competes with established international platforms such as Gmail and Outlook, providing a homegrown alternative for secure and reliable communication. While Shah did not provide detailed reasons for his shift to Zoho Mail, the move is interpreted as a deliberate promotion of Indian products, encouraging public figures, institutions, and businesses to adopt homegrown technology.

The adoption of Zoho Mail by a senior Union Cabinet minister is significant in the context of India’s broader swadeshi digital movement. It comes amid ongoing efforts to reduce dependence on foreign software and technology, particularly in the backdrop of global trade tensions and US tariffs. By choosing an Indian email platform, Shah is signaling trust in domestic technology and supporting the government’s “Atmanirbhar Bharat” vision, which aims to strengthen India’s self-reliance in digital infrastructure, software, and services.

Shah is not the first minister to join the swadeshi tech initiative. Last month, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that he would switch to Zoho’s Office Suite Software for official use. This reflects a growing trend within the Union Cabinet and government departments to embrace homegrown digital solutions. Such moves aim to not only showcase the reliability and capabilities of Indian technology but also encourage wider adoption among government offices, businesses, and individuals.

Zoho Mail’s robust features, security measures, and enterprise-level capabilities make it a suitable alternative to global email providers. Its adoption by prominent political figures and ministers also enhances the platform’s credibility and visibility, potentially attracting more users across different sectors. By switching to Zoho Mail, Shah demonstrates confidence in domestic technology and aligns with the government’s broader policy of promoting Indian products and services.

In conclusion, Amit Shah’s shift to Zoho Mail is both a practical decision and a symbolic endorsement of homegrown technology. It underscores India’s push for swadeshi digital solutions, encourages reliance on domestic software, and reinforces the government’s commitment to self-reliance in the technology sector. The move also reflects a growing pattern among Indian policymakers to lead by example in adopting and promoting Indian platforms, ultimately contributing to the nation’s vision of a digitally empowered, self-reliant India.