Zoho Office Made Mandatory at India’s Education Ministry

• The Education Ministry mandates Zoho for all official documents and tasks.
• Initiative supports Atmanirbhar Bharat, reducing reliance on foreign software.
• Zoho is integrated with NIC mail for secure, cloud-based access.

The Ministry of Education has formally directed all its officials to utilize the Zoho Office Suite for all tasks related to documents. This initiative seeks to advance digital independence and indigenous technology, aligning with the government's Atmanirbhar Bharat objective and the Swadeshi initiative

The official memorandum from the Department of Higher Education indicates that adopting Zoho is a strategic decision to lessen dependence on foreign software while promoting the usage and development of Indian digital products.

All officials and employees within the Ministry have been instructed to produce, modify, and disseminate all official documents, spreadsheets, and presentations via Zoho, which is now linked with NIC mail.

Zoho Office Suite is a web-based office platform created by Zoho Corporation. The platform enables the creation, editing, and sharing of documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and more, all within a single secure location. Key tools include Zoho Writer for documents, Zoho Sheet for spreadsheets, and Zoho Show for presentations. All files are kept in the cloud using Zoho WorkDrive, allowing users to reach their work at any time.

Officials were directed to get acquainted with Zoho’s collaborative tools to facilitate seamless adoption and reach out to the CMIS/NIC division for technical support and onboarding help.

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The circular also highlighted that the Zoho Office Suite is now integrated into the NIC mail ecosystem, enabling smooth access without additional logins or installations. This integration aims to ensure the platform is user-friendly, secure, and promotes collaboration among government departments.

By officially embracing Zoho, the Ministry expressed its dedication to data protection, local innovation, and strategic independence in the digital realm. Officials have described the action as a “courageous leap” towards diminishing reliance on software imports and establishing a secure, scalable, and self-sufficient IT environment.

Nishant Upadhyaya, Under Secretary to the Government of India, digitally signed the order, which was then distributed to the Personal Secretaries of the Education Minister, Minister of State (SM), and Minister of State (JC), as well as other senior officials.