India’s premier institutes have spent over ₹1.34 billion in the past five years on proprietary software.
India’s top universities and technical institutes have spent at least ₹1.34 billion in the past five years on proprietary software licences, according to figures compiled through Right to Information queries by a free and open source software (FOSS) collective. The advocacy group warns the real number is likely far higher, since the data covers only 15–20 per cent of premier public institutes and excludes the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
The spending spans email systems, engineering and electronic design automation (EDA) tools for chip design, and digital assignment platforms. “Institutions spend crores every year teaching students software they will never own,” the group noted, arguing that dependence on proprietary platforms undermines both technology sovereignty and student learning. FOSS United CEO Sai Rahul Poruri cautioned that vendors could revoke access at any time, exposing universities to serious risks. He added that India’s push for sovereignty is being applied too narrowly, ignoring broader dependence on foreign tech.
Despite government policies encouraging open source adoption, proprietary “lock-in” continues to dominate campus decisions. FOSS advocacy groups call for a shift toward open source alternatives in curricula, positioning them as critical for India’s long-term independence and innovation.
As costs rise and sovereignty debates intensify, the choice between proprietary and open source software is set to become a defining issue for the future of Indian higher education.
