Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned to the social media platform X to spotlight the shifts in India's defence sector. In a post from his official handle (@narendramodi), he said the country's defence capabilities had gone through a major transformation over the past ten years.
What PM Modi Said
According to the Prime Minister, the notable change in the nation's defence strength over the last decade has been driven by the idea of self-reliance. He wrote that this shift was made possible by innovation, technology and indigenous manufacturing, and noted that the thread he shared offers a glimpse of the distance India has covered in the defence field.
The Self-Reliance Message
The core of the post was that the country is now moving to cut its dependence on outside sources for defence needs and to build that capacity at home. The Prime Minister tied the entire stretch of progress to indigenous production and technological innovation, framing it as the outcome of a guiding vision pursued through steady steps over the years.
Public Reaction
The post drew a mixed response. Some supporters hailed it as a leadership achievement and pointed to a sharp rise in defence exports, citing figures of ₹686 crore in 2013 climbing to ₹38,424 crore in 2026 and describing it as a 56x jump. Others, however, raised criticism and questions, with doubts centred on the engines for Tejas, the Kaveri project and the reality behind the claims of self-reliance.
