Why was it necessary for a developing country like India to follow

Why was it necessary for a developing country like India to follow self-reliance as an objective of economic planning?

Self-reliance as an objective of economic planning is necessary for a developing country also in order to reduce their dependence on foreign countries especially for food. Also promoting self-reliance increase employment generation in an economy. It is understandable that people who were recently freed from foreign domination should give importance to self-reliance.