Swadeshi Tech On The Rise: LCA Tejas, Mappls Vs Google, And The 'India First' Revolution

India's Swadeshi revolution has gathered momentum right from the maiden indigenous flight LCA Tejas Mk1A's take-off today from Nashik to homegrown rivals like Zoho and Mappls India ready to unsettle the presence of US tech giants like Microsoft and Google Maps in the south Asian nation.  

After Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw's recent post on Mappls India garnered 1.6 million views on X, formerly Twitter, netizens began mulling over the perks of switching to an Indian map navigation system instead of supporting American conglomerates.

Mappls India, the homegrown navigation app, which began its journey even before Google Maps in 1995, recently achieved a feat that is foreign to top geospatial navigation firms. The Rakesh Verma-led platform has integrated real-time traffic signal countdowns into its navigation system by partnering with Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP).

Speaking to Republic Media Network, Rakesh Verma, Co-founder of MapmyIndia, the parent firm behind Mappls app, said, "Better products do exist, however, it gets hidden by giant players. The 'India First' vision at our company has helped us scale up from a enterprise generating Rs 1 crore in revenue annually to Rs 500 crore."

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MapMyIndia's story in geospatial navigation began in 1995, when the "concept of digital maps was unheard of in India". Verma says, "Now, there are over 100x high-value platforms in India," highlighting India's fast-paced tech revolution and policy support from the central government.

When inquired about the initial waves of Swadeshi tech companies coming to the fore, he said, "It's not important that many platforms arise as several shut shop in a year's span. Its crucial that Swadeshi enterprises with product offerings better than that of global competitors are able to come in the limelight.

What's fueled Verma's curiosity over the years is not just a pathbreaking idea but the "conviction, and passion" to see it through."

When asked about the current headwinds that Mappls India faces, he said, "We trust Google, however, the algorithm does prove to be a challenge. Further, he noted, "Expected time of arrival (ETA) is something that we need to improve, and we've started putting in the work behind it."

Interestingly, Mappls is also integrated with NaVic, which helps meet the positioning, navigation and timing requirements of India.

This Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)-developed product was designed with a constellation of 7 satellites and a network of ground stations operating 24x7.

According to ISRO, "NavIC coverage area includes India and a region up to 1500 km beyond Indian boundary."

Meanwhile, the MapMyIndia Co-Founder also noted that visibility was key for India's home-grown tech platforms to have a fair chance, and government aid would prove to be an appropriate catalyst."

Recently, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced that Indian Railways will soon ink a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MapmyIndia to integrate Mappls technology for various railway applications  to bolster real-time tracking, and passenger services accessibility, and efficiency.