Vaishnaw Endorses Mappls as India’s Answer to Google Maps

In a major push toward digital self-reliance, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw endorsed Mappls, an Indian-made navigation app developed by MapmyIndia, as a viable alternative to Google Maps. His public demonstration of the app triggered a surge in its popularity, aligning with India’s broader “Atmanirbhar Bharat” goals and marking another step in promoting indigenous technology solutions.

Government Backing Sparks Growth

Following the endorsement,

• Mappls became the #2 navigation app on the Apple App Store, just behind Google Maps.
• On Google Play, Mappls crossed 1 crore (10 million) downloads.
• The app saw a tenfold rise in daily downloads within two weeks.
• Indian Railways is preparing to sign an MoU with Mappls to integrate its mapping services.

Features That Set Mappls Apart

Mappls differentiates itself with India-specific features,

• 3D junction views for better real-time decisions.
• Traffic signal countdowns in supported cities.
• Indoor navigation for malls and buildings.
• Alerts for speed breakers, sharp turns, and accident zones.
• Support for 12+ Indian languages.
• Unique Mappls PIN for accurate geolocation.

Industry and Market Impact

• The tech community, including Zoho’s Sridhar Vembu, praised Mappls, calling it the result of “decades of R&D”. Investor sentiment also surged — the parent company, CE Info Systems, saw its stock rise by 8%.
• The company is also lobbying for pre-installation of Mappls on smartphones made under the PLI scheme, giving it an edge in domestic adoption.

Static Facts

• Mappls Developer: MapmyIndia (CE Info Systems Ltd.)
• Endorsed by: Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw
• Other Backers: Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu
• Google Play Downloads: 1 crore+
• App Store Rank: #2 in navigation