New Delhi, Jan. 29 -- Self-reliance is both an economic necessity and a strategic imperative as the era of frictionless globalization is over and India must prepare for prolonged geopolitical uncertainty, trade disruption and capital volatility, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26.

Framing swadeshi not as blanket protectionism but as a disciplined, performance-linked strategy, the survey released on Thursday said that export controls, technology denial, border carbon levies, and aggressive industrial policies across advanced and emerging economies have fundamentally altered the calculus of openness.

"The policy question is no longer whether the state should encourage Swadeshi, but how it should do so without undermining efficiency,...