Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the country on Friday to move towards more self-reliance, manufacture everything from fertilisers to jet engines and EV batteries, and vowed to protect farmers in the face of a trade conflict with Washington.

US President Donald Trump’s administration hit India with a 25 per cent tariff from July 1, then last week doubled the amount to 50 per cent by adding a “secondary” 25 per cent tariff for its purchases of Russian oil, which Washington argues is helping fuel Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday that India is seeking self-reliance in energy independence and the development of its own powerful defence systems, vowing to defend his country's interests