With India's relations with the US under strain and a national think tank urging the government to shed its reliance on American technology to protect vital sectors such as banking, cloud computing, web browsing and public services, the country's Science and Technology Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh, also a close aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday said that "technology sovereignty will determine geopolitical sovereignty".
"Technology sovereignty will determine the geopolitical sovereignty in the times to come," Singh said during an event to mark the 84th Foundation Day of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), in Delhi.
Underlining India's transition into a technology-driven nation, Singh stressed that the country must consciously build its strength in emerging technologies if it is to remain competitive globally.
Interestingly, the minister's remarks on technology sovereignty come days after the nation's leading trade think tank, Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), said in a report published earlier this month that deeper dependence on US technology behemoths like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and X, amongst others, poses a strategic risk to India's sovereignty.
"India is dealing with a major external shock -- the United States has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on most Indian goods -- but a far deeper strategic risk lies in its digital dependence on US technology firms," the think tank said.
"A US-ordered cutoff could instantly paralyse digital payments, tax filings, and government services nationwide," it added.