Speaking at an annual gathering of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in New Delhi last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh implored captains of the defence industry — not for the first time — to innovate in futuristic technologies “to transform India from (being) a follower to a leader”. Demonstrating the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) talent for slogans, Mr Singh observed that India’s population had to be converted from a “wealth-consuming entity” into a “wealth-creating resource”. However, it will take more than catchphrases for our defence industry to begin churning out the defence equipment needed to become Atmanirbhar Bharat — another much-used government phrase that means self-reliant.