'Don't expect Uncle Sam to...': Capitalmind CEO says India must build its own defense capabilities

Capitalmind CEO Deepak Shenoy on Wednesday said that India must build its own defense capabilities instead of relying on foreign suppliers. "India needs to ensure we have domestic defense suppliers, because you shouldn't expect uncle sam to give a key every day if you need to fly a fighter jet," he said while reacting to a US trade report that flagged 'Make in India' as a barrier. "It's a trade barrier by design — you wanna sell this stuff to us, get local. Make in India is great for India."

Shenoy’s remarks came in response to the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) annual report, which listed India’s expanding quality-control norms and customs curbs as burdensome for trade. The report raised concerns about mandatory certifications under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) across more than 100 sectors, calling them non-tariff barriers that complicate market access for US exporters.

In January this year, Zoho Corporation founder Sridhar Vembu asserted that India must invest in inventing jets and drones. “For our size of population, for India to have its place in the world, we have to invent and invent pretty much every important piece of technology, crucial to national security and economic strength,” Vembu said on X.

Vembu, now chief scientist at Zoho, described defense innovation as a patriotic mission. “The path to achieving that technological self-reliance is hard. It requires sacrifice—and most of that from our private sector,” he added, calling on companies to invest in long-range industrial R&D.

His comments came after sharp remarks from Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, who criticised Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for delays in delivering Tejas fighter jets. “Technology delayed is technology denied,” Singh said, adding that despite production beginning in 2016, HAL has yet to deliver the first 40 aircraft.

Last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman defended the 'Make in India' initiative, saying that it was delivering tangible results as the government has systematically strengthened the manufacturing sector, including defence production. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman dismissed opposition claims that the initiative had failed and said the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme had already attracted Rs 1.5 lakh crore in investments and generated nearly 9.5 lakh jobs.