India-US trade deal: White House amends fact sheet, key changes explained

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The White House has revised its fact sheet on the India-US trade deal. The revised document removes the mention of pulses and changes the wording used for India's proposed $500 billion purchase. The word "commitment" has now been replaced with "intends."

It's worth noting that on Tuesday, the Congress party targeted the government over the pulses issue. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said pulses were quietly added to the new White House fact sheet released on February 9th, while they were not mentioned in the India-US joint statement issued on February 6th, 2026.

The White House released a fact sheet on the trade deal on Tuesday, detailing the key terms of the agreement. It said India would eliminate or reduce tariffs on a range of US industrial goods and food and agricultural products. These products included dried distillers' grains, red sorghum, tree nuts, some pulses, soybean oil, wine and spirits, among other items.

The document also stated that India has committed to purchase products worth over US$500 billion in energy, information and communications technology, agriculture, coal, and other sectors. However, the word "commitment" has been changed to "intent" in the revised version.

The fact sheet also noted that India imposes relatively high tariffs on the United States compared to other major economies in the world. Average tariffs on agricultural products are reported to be up to 37 percent, and some vehicles exceed 100 percent. It also noted that India has a history of imposing non-tariff barriers, which has led to restrictions on many U.S. export products in India.

According to the document, in the coming weeks, the two countries will work expeditiously to implement this framework and negotiate an interim agreement to finalize a mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement aimed at benefiting American workers and businesses.

The fact sheet also states that India will remove non-tariff barriers affecting bilateral trade in priority sectors. The two countries will also negotiate rules of origin, ensuring that the benefits of the agreement accrue primarily to India and the United States.