India, March 7 -- At the Dataquest Leadership Conclave 2025, Ashwini Vaishnaw, Union Minister for Railways, Communications, and IT, took center stage to throw a direct challenge to big tech companies.

The challenge came in response to a question from CP Gurnani, former CEO of Tech Mahindra, who pointed out how the U.S. once halted Android shipments to China, underscoring the need for India to build its own foundational AI and operating system to ensure technological sovereignty.

Vaishnaw, while addressing a question posed by CP Gurnani, he emphasized that India's technology industry must move beyond providing services and take bold steps to create its own foundational technology, including AI models, operating systems, and semiconductor...