Gautam Adani calls global cooperation 'facade', pitches for self-reliant India

Gautam Adani said India needs to step up and strengthen self-reliance across all sectors — be it vaccinations, defence or semiconductors.

Back from the World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland, richest Indian Gautam Adani on May 26 said international alliances are built on slippery foundations of self-interest and India needs to step up and strengthen self-reliance across sectors — from vaccination to defence and semiconductors.

Climate change, followed by the pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, the war in Ukraine and rising inflation have together resulted in worldwide panic and uncertainty, the Adani Group Chairman wrote in a post shared on LinkedIn.

In 'The Paradoxes at Davos 2022', Mr. Adani expounded on the current global situation, saying "the state of global affairs has forced us to confront the resulting realpolitik directly rather than hide behind a facade of global cooperation." Collaborations, not condescension is key to the new world order, Mr. Adani said, adding self-defence and self-reliance preoccupy war-wary leaders in Davos.

Gautam Adani said India needs to step up and strengthen self-reliance across all sectors — be it vaccinations, defence or semiconductors. "It is clear, in this uncertain time, that there is little alternative to effective, confident self-reliance and that we are now onto this era of self-reliance."

"As we go through this process there will be pushbacks — and we will run into controversies in other parts of the world. So be it. Many will try to stop us building semiconductor plants. Many will dissuade us from investing a larger portion of our GDP in defence. Our principles will come under criticism.

"What we must keep in mind is that many of those who set targets for emissions reductions for India are also those that shy away from acknowledging the disproportionate responsibility borne by a small number of developed countries for the climate crisis. In other words, it is far easier to talk than to walk the talk," Mr. Adani said.

Mr. Adani hoped that perhaps better sense will now prevail about what pragmatic energy transitions might look like as opposed to green transitions based on little more than magical thinking.