Kharagpur (19.08.2025): Speaking on the occasion of 75th foundation day of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-Kharagpur) as a keynote speaker at the platinum jubilee celebrations of the institution, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani emphasised that India needs to fight for the freedom of self-reliance to be “truly free. He said that one disruption or sanction can freeze the country’s digital economy, while a single geopolitical incident can restrict economic growth.
“At @IITKgp today, I witnessed the future of Bharat - brimming with confidence, courage and patriotism. The packed hall, unstoppable energy and non-stop cheers will always stay with me. On this historic occasion of IIT KGP’s Platinum Jubilee, it was inspiring to see how our young innovators are the torchbearers of Atmanirbhar Bharat. With their passion and brilliance, our nation’s growth story has no limits,” Adani posted on X.
Gautam Adani said at the platinum jubilee celebrations, “The wars nowadays are often invisible and technology-driven. Algorithms are today's weapons and not guns. Our ability to prepare for these wars will decide the country's future, the chairman of Adani Group said, highlighting the need to become self-reliant in all sectors.”
“In 1947, we broke the chains on our land. Yet in the 21st century, a nation can be independent and still be bound by dependence. Just three days ago, we marked our 79th Independence Day, and it is clear we stand at a major inflection point. The world is moving from conventional wars to technology-driven wars of power, and our ability to prepare will decide our future,” Adani said.
"From conventional wars to technology-driven wars, our ability to prepare will decide our future, because the wars we fight today are often invisible. They are fought in server farms, not in trenches. The weapons are algorithms, not guns. The empires are not built on land but in data centres. The armies are botnets and not battalions," he told students and faculty members.
Pointing out the country's technology dependence, he said that India imports 90% of its semiconductors and any disruption risks freezing the country's digital economy. He said the scenario was similar in the energy sector. "In the case of energy vulnerability, we export 85% of our oil. A single geopolitical incident can restrict our growth. When our data crosses India's borders, every bit of this data becomes raw materials for foreign algorithms, creates foreign wealth, and strengthens foreign dominions," he said.
The country also imports many of its critical military systems, he said, underlining the need to become self-reliant in the defence sector. In the case of military dependence, many of our critical systems are imported, bringing our national security to the political will and supply chains of other nations. This is the freedom we must now fight for, the freedom of self-reliance or Atmanirbharta, if we truly want to be free," added the Adani Group chief.
