Enough with the charades. Assembled in India is not Made in India.

For too long, several companies in India's drone ecosystem have relied on imported technology, simply repackaging it with an Indian label and selling it to our Armed Forces. These products lacked real innovation and were often overpriced, sold under the guise of "Made in India."

The harsh reality hit home with a recent incident that left our military vulnerable, exposing just how much import-dependence has cost us. That moment was a wake-up call — one that showed us the fragility of the so-called "indigenous" tech flooding our market. This is the cost of shortcuts. This is the price of buying foreign solutions when we should be building our own.

But there's a deeper issue at play here. While we push for self-reliance, some Indian manufacturers, instead of offering affordable, high-quality solutions for the defense sector, are simply extorting money from India in the name of being "Made in India."

For example, many companies in India that produce drone motors and critical components are charging exorbitant prices for products that should be more reasonably priced for local industries and the military. This is not “Made in India.” This is capitalizing on India’s need for self-reliance.

The Indian Army has already banned multiple foreign-reliant drone companies from procurement. The message is clear: India deserves better. We deserve quality, innovation, and value, not inflated prices.

This is where the real challenge lies — Indian companies must rise to the occasion. If we truly want to support the growth of indigenous tech, the price must be right. There needs to be a balance between profitability and patriotism. If the future of our country depends on these innovations, then those who are building these systems must offer affordable, scalable solutions that will empower India, not exploit it.

Yes, Indian-made tech may fail sometimes, but instead of discarding it, we need to provide feedback and help improve. Support the innovators who are genuinely trying to build for India, but let's not support companies that are only out to profit from our needs.

The key is collaboration — not exploitation. If we support India’s true innovators now, they will deliver the most advanced, secure, and reliable systems in the world tomorrow. Not imported. Not overpriced. But made for India.

The era of import-dependence is over. It’s time for real, affordable, and sustainable innovation to take root in India.

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Stand with builders. Demand better value. Stand for India.

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