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.

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 "like a wall".

The Indian prime minister has said his country "is ready" to react to President Donald Trump's additional 25 percent levy on goods entering the U.S.