By David Lawder and Manoj Kumar

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump's doubling of tariffs on imports from India to as much as 50% took effect as scheduled on Wednesday, delivering a serious blow to ties between the two countries that became strategic partners after the turn of this century.

A punitive 25% tariff imposed due to India's purchases of Russian oil adds to Trump's prior 25% tariff on many imports from the South Asian nation. It takes total duties to as high as 50% for goods such as garments, gems and jewellery, footwear, sporting goods, furniture and chemicals - among the highest imposed by the U.S. and on par with Brazil and China.

The new tariffs threaten thousands of small exporters and jobs, including in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's home state of

See Full Page