India Makes Progress Towards Self-Reliance in Defense, Technology, and Manufacturing

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (June 28) used his monthly radio broadcast ‘Mann Ki Baat’ to underline how India is steadily becoming more self-reliant across defence , technology and manufacturing, citing major milestones ranging from the maiden flight of the made-in-India C-295 aircraft to the successful test of an indigenous long-range cruise missile. PM Modi said June had brought several achievements that fill every citizen with pride, and argued that these developments show a country moving from dependence to domestic capability “from the seas to the skies.” PM Narendra Modi remarks came as the government continues to push for a stronger indigenous industrial base, especially in strategic sectors where imports have traditionally dominated. PM Modi pointed first to the aviation sector, describing the maiden flight of the first made-in-India C-295 military transport aircraft on June 10 as an important milestone. He noted that the Indian Air Force (IAF ) is procuring 56 C-295 aircraft at a cost of around Rs 21,935 crore, with 40 of them being assembled in India by Tata Advanced Systems Limited in cooperation with Airbus at a production facility in Vadodara. “As many as 40 such aircraft are being built right here in India and this is giving new strength to MSMEs and the aerospace sector,” PM said, adding that the project would also generate employment opportunities and deepen the domestic aerospace supply chain. The Prime Minister framed the project as part of a larger transformation in India’s manufacturing ecosystem, especially in defence-linked industries. By assembling a large share of the aircraft locally, he said, India is not just acquiring capability but also building an industrial base that benefits small and medium enterprises, skilled workers and associated suppliers. The Rs 21,935 crore programme, in this sense, is not only a military procurement but also a push to create long-term domestic value in aviation manufacturing. Narendra Modi said the month of June had also brought major gains in naval and missile capabilities. Recalling a Navy-related programme in Kolkata, he said INS Dunagiri, INS Shanshak and INS Agrya were inducted into the Indian Navy ’s fleet. “From the design to manufacturing of these ships, everything is indigenous,” he said, highlighting the growing depth of India’s shipbuilding and naval production ecosystem. The induction of these vessels, he suggested, reflects the progress made in designing and manufacturing complex defence platforms within the country. He also referred to the successful flight-test of the indigenous Long-Range Land-Attack Cruise Missile, or LRLACM, conducted by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on June 15 off the Odisha coast. PM Modi said the test showed that India is strengthening its own strategic capabilities across multiple domains. “In other words, from the seas to the skies, our India is becoming increasingly secure and self-reliant,” he added. The missile, developed with sub-systems built by DRDO laboratories and industry partners, was presented as another example of the country’s march toward technological sovereignty in defence. Beyond defence, PM Modi also linked self-reliance to public behaviour and economic discipline. He thanked citizens for responding to his appeal to avoid buying gold for some time, holidaying abroad and using car pools in view of the West Asia situation. “I am grateful to every citizen of the country; not only have they supported my appeal, they are also actively cooperating in every way,” he said. The message, he suggested, was not just about immediate restraint but about a broader sense of collective responsibility in times of global uncertainty. He also reiterated his appeal to farmers to adopt chemical-free farming, protect their farmlands and maximise the use of natural fertilisers. The Prime Minister has been increasingly highlighting such measures as part of a more sustainable model of development, one that ties economic growth with environmental protection and reduced dependence on chemical inputs. By placing these points in the same broadcast as defence and technology milestones, Modi presented self-reliance as a multi-layered national project rather than a single-sector goal. PM Narendra Modi also touched on education and skills, saying that the Central Sanskrit University in Delhi is launching a B.Tech programme in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science. He described it as “a crucial step towards integrating modern technology with India’s traditional knowledge,” suggesting that the country’s future growth must combine cutting-edge technical education with cultural continuity. The move, he implied, reflects a larger effort to prepare young Indians for emerging technologies while keeping them rooted in indigenous intellectual traditions. The Prime Minister’s remarks on this point fit into a wider narrative of India trying to expand its innovation capacity without severing ties to its heritage. By linking Sanskrit studies with AI and data science, he suggested that India can create a uniquely home-grown model of modernisation, one that is both globally relevant and culturally grounded. This, too, he argued, is part of the self-reliance story. PM Modi also spoke about several examples showing how Indian culture and social innovation are reaching wider audiences. He noted that in the Dominican Republic, where the Indian population is only around 100, some Spanish-speaking locals have formed a group called “Brahmakamal Dominicana.” According to him, the members study Vedic literature together and are learning to chant Vedic mantras by listening to audio recordings, despite having no formal training. For Modi, this was evidence that Indian spiritual and cultural traditions are finding resonance far beyond the country’s borders. He then turned to environmental conservation in Assam, speaking about the Hargila bird, which plays an important role in keeping nature clean. “Hargila was considered inauspicious in certain parts of Assam and trees housing Hargila nests were even cut down,” he said. He credited biologist Purnima Devi Barman with helping change those perceptions by speaking to women and explaining the science behind the bird’s ecological importance. “Then, a major transformation began,” he said, adding that the bird once regarded as a bad omen has now become the identity of villages in the region.