Google, Microsoft, Rediff may soon provide email addresses in Hindi

Have you ever fancied having an email ID in your mother tongue? If yes, then soon it can turn into a reality as American tech giants Google, Microsoft and homegrown providers like Rediff may offer email addresses in Hindi and other desi languages.

A meeting was convened last month in which the government asked the email service providers to allow users to sign up in local languages starting with Hindi. This has been done keeping in mind the rural India. The aim is to widen the reach of Internet to semi-urban and rural areas.

"The Bharat Net project will connect 250,000 gram panchayats through high-speed Internet in the next few years, and people should be able to utilise it when it reaches them," said Rajiv Bansal, joint secretary in the ministry of electronics and IT. 

The meeting was attended by executives of Google, Microsoft and Rediff.