NEW DELHI — Amendments made to the White House factsheet on the proposed India–U.S. trade deal reflect the shared understanding reached by both countries, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing that India and the United States had agreed on a joint statement outlining the framework for an interim agreement on reciprocal and mutually beneficial trade.
“This was issued on February 7, 2026. The joint statement is the framework and remains the basis of our mutual understanding in this matter. Both sides will now work towards implementing this framework and finalising the interim agreement,” Jaiswal said.
The United States recently revised the official factsheet on the trade deal, introducing changes that bring the document closer to India’s stated position. The updated version has been published on the White House website.
One key revision involves agricultural market access. The earlier U.S. factsheet had listed “pulses” among American products on which India would eliminate or reduce tariffs. That reference has now been removed. The revised language states that India will eliminate or reduce tariffs on U.S. industrial goods and a wide range of food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and other products.
India’s agriculture chapter in the trade framework makes clear that pulses remain fully protected, classifying them as a highly sensitive sector under an exemption category.
Another change clarifies India’s purchasing intentions. The revised factsheet now says India “intends” to buy more American products, including energy, information and communication technology, coal, and other goods, with purchases potentially exceeding $500 billion. The earlier version had stated that India “will purchase” goods worth over $500 billion, language that was seen as implying a firm commitment.
The updated factsheet has also removed a contentious reference to India eliminating its digital services tax. Previously, the U.S. document had said India would remove the tax and negotiate comprehensive digital trade rules. The revised version limits this to a commitment to negotiate bilateral digital trade rules aimed at addressing discriminatory or burdensome practices and other barriers to digital trade.
The government has repeatedly emphasized that it has protected the interests of Indian farmers during trade negotiations. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has said that sensitive agricultural sectors such as dairy and poultry have been kept outside the scope of the talks. (Source: IANS)
