India’s Homegrown Secure Web Browser Takes Shape Under MeitY’s Initiative— What You Need To Know

In a significant push towards digital sovereignty, the Central government has selected Zoho Corporation as the winner of the Indian Web Browser Development Challenge (IWBDC), an initiative under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission.

The challenge, launched by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and conducted by C-DAC Bangalore, aims to develop a homegrown web browser that prioritises security, privacy, and compatibility across major platforms.

Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced the results at a function in Delhi, highlighting the government’s broader vision of transforming India into a "product nation" from a "service nation."

He emphasised the need to accelerate innovation into large-scale productisation, ensuring Indian digital solutions are competitive, secure, and scalable.

According to a statement by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, the advantages of an indigenous Indian browser are manifold.

Firstly, it ensures enhanced data security, with user data kept within the country's borders, fostering better control over sensitive information.

Secondly, it complies with India's Data Protection Act, ensuring privacy and adherence to the highest standards of data security.

Additionally, all data generated by Indian citizens will remain in India, enhancing the country’s digital sovereignty.

Furthermore, the browser will be compatible with all major platforms, including iOS, Windows, and Android, ensuring broad accessibility and usability across devices.

Addressing the participants, the minister said that that the development of India’s own web browser marks the first significant step towards the creation of an entire Indian digital stack.

Zoho Corporation emerged as a winner with Team PING, a startup, as first runner-pp and Team Ajna, another startup, as the second runner-up.

Recognising their outstanding contributions, an award of Rs 1 crore, Rs 75 lakhs, and Rs 50 lakhs was given to the winner, first runner-up, and second runner-up, respectively.

A special mention was made for "Jio Vishwakarma" for their design of browsers in varied platforms.

The challenge required designing the browser with a spectrum of critical features, including a dedicated trust store with CCA India Root certificate, Digital Signing within the browser, Child-friendly browsing, Parental Controls, seamless compatibility with all official Indian languages, Web3 support, and cutting-edge browser capabilities.

With 434 teams initially participating, the competition went through three phases—Ideation, Prototype, and Productisation.

The final eight teams were evaluated by a distinguished Jury Panel.

This move is expected to reduce dependence on foreign browsers, keeping Indian user data within the country and strengthening national digital sovereignty.

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