Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 9 (ANI): Calling the US tariffs an “opportunity” for India to change from a services-based economy to one focused on creating indigenous products, Indian businessman Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani said on Thursday that the Donald Trump administration’s move would boost India’s progress toward achieving the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Speaking to ANI, Hiranandani noted that India had long been hesitant and lacked confidence, which led the country to primarily operate on a services-driven model, catering largely to US companies rather than developing its own products.
“I think what is going to happen is that the Indian mindset, which was working on a services business all the time, serve America, serve the rest of the world, not create the products of the world. So not create the Apple, not create the Microsoft, not create those. We were hesitant. We weren’t confident to do so. Today, I think there is an opportunity where beyond services, India will now create those products,” Hiranandani said.
Hiranandani stated that the US tariffs will accelerate India’s journey towards achieving the Atmanirbhar Bharat goal, not by choice, but to convert the challenge into an opportunity.
“I think what the Trump administration has done is going to speed India to that direction. Not by choice of doing it faster, but because we are converting a challenge into an opportunity. Sure, adversity. Adversity. So if you can’t export to America, Let’s look at an alternative base in order to do so. Of course, products may be different, opportunities will be different, but why not look at the whole world?,” he said.
Referring to the reason for imposing tariffs on India, Hiranandani opined that the world has taken the US for granted due to the belief that there would be no change in the existing state of affairs since World War II. He said that the current bipolar situation in the world has changed completely.
“We took America for granted. We take the world for granted. We treat the status quo as granted. We do believe that status quo of the world which happened since World War II is not going to change. Number two, that the bipolar situation which was existing in the world would continue forever. Both of these have changed completely,” Hiranandani said.
He asserted that the current US administration has made its point clear on the issue, stating that it doesn’t depend on the relations that the country has with a particular nation; if the trade relations are not in favour of the US, it will not favour that specific country.
“The new administration has made it very clear that you may be my friend, you may be my enemy, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as the trade is not in their favor at this point of time, they are not going to be with you. So I think America has made it very, very clear as to what they want,” he added.
Backing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of achieving the “Viksit Bharat” goal, Dr Hiranandani asserted that he has already fixed a deadline for it.
“Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi has said very clear that we want Atma Nirbhar Bharat. He’s talking about a Viksit Bharat. He’s fixed a deadline for that too and he said 2030, 2047 ABC is going to be achieved,” he added.
He mentioned that as India took the “status quo” of the world quo for granted, the country was also dependent on other countries for technology, whether it was chips, Artificial Intelligence or manufacturing.
Referring to the fourth F404-IN20 fighter jet engine given to Hindustan Aeronautical Limited, Hiranandani stated that India is not buying fighter jets from the US; instead, orders have been given to HAL.
He also noted that there was hesitation behind HAL being able to meet the task; however, now a deadline has been set for it, as PM Modi has made his decision clear towards achieving the mission of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
“We are ordering with HAL. But couple of months ago people were diffident. HAL has not delivered. Do we give it to HAL or not? Now the decision is clear. We have to become Atmanirbhar. We have to do whatever it is and a deadline is given for these aeroplanes to be delivered to the air force. I think great challenge is of course pain when you make change. Any change is painful. If there is a need to change something in our life, then there is a bit of hesitation. But I think it’s good for the country and it’s good for India to actually do it and you have a strong leader capable of doing it,” he said.
Earlier this year, the US administration slapped 50 per cent tariffs and penalties on the Indian imports, accusing the country of buying Russian oil and funding the Ukraine-Russia war.
On October 8, A group of members of the United States Congress on Wednesday (local time) wrote to President Donald Trump urging him to take immediate steps to reset and repair the country’s partnership with India, following recent tariff measures that they said have strained relations with the world’s largest democracy.
In their joint letter addressed to President Trump, the lawmakers said that “recent actions by your administration have strained relations with the world’s largest democracy, creating negative consequences for both countries,” and called for swift action to restore balance in the bilateral relationship.
Meanwhile, India is expected to remain the world’s fastest-growing major economy, driven by strong consumption, improved farm output, and rising rural wages, according to the World Bank’s latest South Asia Development Update.
The report states that South Asia’s growth is expected to remain robust at 6.6 per cent this year, but warns of a slowdown to 5.8 per cent in 2026.
The World Bank’s twice-a-year regional outlook highlights that while the region continues to lead global growth, several risks could affect its momentum. These include global economic uncertainty, trade policy shifts, socio-political tensions, and disruptions in labour markets due to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI). (ANI)
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