The changes have reportedly been made on pulses, an investment pledge, and a tax waiver to allay New Delhi
The White House has revised its fact sheet on the recently announced India-US trade deal, according to media reports. It had initially released the document on the agreement on Monday.
The updated version of the statement includes three main changes, according to a Hindustan Times report.
The changes were made after New Delhi reportedly flagged wordings and references that were not agreed upon, the outlet said.
The White House removed the reference to “certain pulses” from the initial version that said India would eliminate or reduce tariffs on agricultural goods.
India is the world’s biggest producer and consumer of pulses, and any concessions would make US supplies more competitive.
New Delhi’s insistence on leaving out dairy and agricultural products was seen as one of the main hindrances to a trade deal with Washington. Agriculture has always been a bone of contention in US-India trade talks, as farmers are a sensitive political constituency in both countries.
The removal of pulses from the wording is seen as successful pushback by New Delhi, according to the HT report.
The other change is related to the reported commitment made by India to buy additional American goods. The new statement says India “intends to buy” more American products, matching the wording in the India-US joint statement issued last week.
The White House also tweaked the reference that New Delhi “will remove its digital services taxes.” The new version states India is “committed to negotiate” digital trade rules.
US President Donald Trump’s Truth Social post announcing the deal had claimed India had agreed to buy over $500 billion worth of American energy, technology, agricultural, coal, and other products.
Trump’s claims on tariff concessions by India were unlikely, a former Indian foreign secretary told RT after the deal was announced.
The US-India trade deal reduced India’s tariff burden to 18% from the earlier 50%, which was the highest for any country in Asia. Indian exports to the US now enjoy the second-best tariff rate in Asia, after Japan.
