Varanasi: India has to focus on its economic priorities and every citizen should resolve to buy swadeshi, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday at Varanasi. The world economy is going through a period of uncertainty and made a push for ‘swadeshi’ (made in India) products, he added.

US President Donald Trump announced that a tariff of 25%, plus an unspecified penalty because of energy imports from Russia, would be imposed on Indian exports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the world economy is going through a period of uncertainty and made a push for ‘swadeshi’ (made in India) products.

PM Modi in his addressing at a rally in Varanasi said that India has to focus on its economic priorities and every citizen should resolve to buy swadeshi.

The world economy is going through many ups and downs today, said Modi. There is an atmosphere of uncertainty. In such a situation, every country is focusing on its own interests. India is also going to become the third-largest economy in the world and, therefore, has to be alert to its economic interests. Our farmers, our industries, employment for our young people, their interests all of these are paramount for us. The government is making every effort in this direction, he added.

We will have to adopt the vocal for local mantra, as citizens of the country, we also have some responsibilities i.e., this is something not just Modi but everyone should keep saying, he said. Anyone who wants to make India the third-largest economy in the world, any political party, any leader, should speak in the country’s interest and instill in people that they need to resolve to buy swadeshi… When we decide to buy anything, there should be only one measure: We are going to buy those things which an Indian has sweated to make. Anything that has been made by the people of India, using the skill of the people of India, by the sweat of the people of India, is swadeshi for us.

The 25% tariff was announced by Donald Trump on Wednesday following it up with a jibe that India and Russia are dead economies and the government has said it is studying the implications of the move and will take all necessary steps to safeguard India’s national interest.