Sridhar Vembu lauds MapMyIndia, says Swadeshi Mappls ‘Reflects decades of R&D, longer than Google Maps’

Zoho co-founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu has praised MapMyIndia’s new navigation app, Mappls, describing it as “very nice” and highlighting that it reflects “decades of R&D, much longer than Google Maps.” Vembu shared his remarks on X on 12 October 2025, extending best wishes to Rohan Verma and the MapMyIndia team.

Minister Vaishnaw showcases Mappls features

Vembu’s tweet was a reshare of an earlier post by Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology, who on 11 October encouraged people to try the “Swadeshi ‘Mappls’” app, praising its useful features. Vaishnaw also shared a video on his X account, demonstrating the app’s capabilities.

In the video, Vaishnaw demonstrated Mappls from his car, noting its 3D view of over-bridges and underpasses, and the ability to show precise locations of shops or venues in multi-level buildings. He described the app as offering “good features” and urged citizens to try it.

Government to collaborate with MapMyIndia

The minister further revealed that the government plans to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MapMyIndia to integrate Mappls’ GIS applications in the railway sector, signalling wider adoption of the technology for public infrastructure.

Mappls celebrates ‘Swadeshi technology’, an alternative to Google Maps

Following the minister’s demonstration, Mappls took to X to express gratitude. The team described the app as “powered by MapMyIndia’s homegrown mapping technology” and highlighted features such as Junction View, door-level navigation, live traffic signal timers, safety and speed alerts, toll cost estimates, Mappls PIN, DigiPIN, and regional language support.

Mappls emphasised that with over 35 million downloads, the app reflects the trust Indians place in homegrown innovation. The company said it aims to build a “connected, intelligent, and truly Swadeshi digital ecosystem for India,” urging citizens and leaders to support #OperationSwadeshi to promote technological independence and data self-reliance.