Rajnath Singh Says Self-Reliance Means Technological Sovereignty Not Just Indigenous Manufacturing
· India · The Hindu, Times of India
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told the third Delhi Defence Dialogue in New Delhi on November 3, 2026, that true self-reliance requires technological sovereignty — the ability to design, manufacture, upgrade and sustain defence platforms — not merely indigenous production. He described defence reforms, Aatmanirbharta, international collaborations and exports as four interconnected pillars of India's strategic autonomy and its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. Defence production reached a record ₹1.78 lakh crore in 2025-26 while exports hit ₹38,424 crore. Singh warned that self-reliance without reforms, global partnerships and exports would limit India's technological horizons and industrial scale. He noted that recent conflicts have expanded battlefields into space, cyberspace and the digital domain, where inexpensive drones and autonomous systems challenge costly platforms, making rapid innovation and large-scale manufacturing critical. The government is encouraging greater
Why it matters
The shift from import substitution to technological sovereignty reshapes India's defence industrial base, directly affecting domestic manufacturers, private investors and the armed forces' long-term capability to fight modern wars across land, sea, air, space and cyber domains.
Read the original report — The Hindu
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