It's time to develop software products of our own: IT Secretary

India should begin developing software products of its own that can be used not just in the country but in global markets as well, a top official said on Tuesday.

Electronics and IT Secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney said India has tremendous capability in developing software products and they can be developed by identifying issues in the fields of healthcare, agriculture, education, environment etc and resolving them with the help of technology.

"While we have been extremely strong in IT services, the area of software products is one where we are dependent on products coming from all parts of the world. We are happy and confident users of products from wherever they come. It's time to change that. It is time to have a software product of our own--  not just for India, but for the global market," Sawhney said at a FICCI virtual conference.

He said the government has come up with a software products policy which pushes for development of indigenous products.

"We have strength in IT and IT services. Almost all the technology companies across the globe have significant presence in India. The contribution that is made to global products and services by Indian designers and engineers is immense and it is growing significantly. We are trying to move towards software products," Sawhney said.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic has made everyone realise that there is a need for more and more software products from India.

The government has started giving cash prizes to entrepreneurs who develop apps. The government's online citizen engagement platform has received 6,940 entries under the contest in several categories.

This includes 1,142 under business, 901 under health and wellness, 1,062 under e-learning, 1,155 under social networking, 326 under games, 662 under office and work-from-home, 237 under news and 320 under entertainment category.

"We are now scrutinising all the applications and we have found that there is huge potential to develop software products in India," MyGov CEO Abhishek Singh said.

Sawhney said mobile assembling in India has grown over 10 fold in the last six years and there is now huge scope in development of electronic segments in the country.

"We see tremendous opportunity in medical devices, automotive electronics, defence electronics, consumer electronics, industrial electronics, drones and robotics. I think we have tremendous potential in all these areas. We have tremendous potential today. There is room to grow very quickly in all these segments," he said.