The Indian government is planning to incentivize the creation of an "indigenous" mobile operating system to rival iOS and Android.

The proposal announced on Monday by Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar will encourage the technology industry to create a homegrown Indian mobile OS.

The new OS is explicitly intended to "create an alternative to iOS and Android" in India. Chandrasekhar noted that iOS and Android drive the development of hardware ecosystems, which is something that the government hopes the new platform will mirror, giving an Indian brand space to grow.

Chandrasekhar said that start-ups and companies working on an Indian OS may be attractive to domestic and foreign investment when raising capital.

The project fits in with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aim to create domestic leaders across multiple industries and product categories, as well as bolster the country's technology industry.

The Indian government has unveiled a roadmap to achieve $300 billion worth of electronics manufacturing in the country by 2026, up from $75 billion currently. Likewise, the country hopes to achieve $120 billion in electronics exports, up from $15 billion at present.

Image credit: Dazeinfo