GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3109
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026
MIGRATION OF GOVERNMENT EMAIL ACCOUNTS FROM NIC TO ZOHO
3109: SHRI ADHIKARI DEEPAK DEV:
SMT. MALA ROY
Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government proposes to hand over the one million e-mail account...
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3109 TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026 MIGRATION OF GOVERNMENT EMAIL ACCOUNTS FROM NIC TO ZOHO 3109: SHRI ADHIKARI DEEPAK DEV:
SMT. MALA ROY
Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government proposes to hand over the one million e-mail account (Government) from NIC to Private company "Zoho" to operate;
(b) if so, the reasons therefor; and
(c) the amount of payment "Zoho" is likely to get from Government as a service provider? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)
(a) to (c): The Government of India recognises electronic mail as an important mode of official communication for governance, inter-ministerial coordination and citizen-centric service delivery.
In order to modernise the legacy e-mail infrastructure and enhance scalability, security and collaboration capabilities, the Government has undertaken upgradation of the official e-mail system to a secure, cloud-based platform.
The upgraded e-mail solution (new platform) is being implemented through Zoho Corporation Ltd., which has been selected through an open and competitive tendering process. The engagement is based on clearly defined technical, security and service-level requirements. Following this approx. 16.68 lakh active official email accounts have been migrated to the upgraded e-mail solution. However, the ownership and control of Government data remain with the Government of India at all times.
The payment to the service provider is as per the rates finalised through the open competitive tendering process. The rate per e-mail account has been determined through transparent bidding, ensuring cost- efficiency and value for public funds. The total expenditure is based on the number of accounts provisioned and the terms of the contract executed as per Government norms.
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