Mr Modi did not mention the tariffs or the US in his speech that lasted nearly two hours. Last week, US president Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to build a “self-reliant India” and announced tax and regulatory reforms to benefit businesspeople and the middle class in his first major speech since the US imposed 50 per cent tariffs on the country.

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.