White House quietly revises India trade deal terms; Here’s what was removed

The White House has quietly updated its fact sheet on the India-US trade framework, rolling back several key claims related to tariff cuts, digital taxes and large-scale American exports, changes that have drawn attention in policy and trade circles.

In the revised document, the US administration removed “certain pulses” from the list of agricultural products on which India was said to have agreed to reduce tariffs. Pulses, including lentils, chickpeas and dry beans, are a politically sensitive sector in India, the world’s largest producer and consumer of these crops, and the deletion suggests New Delhi pushed back on the original wording.

Another major change involves digital services taxes. The earlier fact sheet claimed India would eliminate such levies, but the updated version now says the two sides have only agreed to negotiate digital trade rules. India had already scrapped its 6% equalisation levy on digital advertising from April 1, 2025, months before the trade framework was announced.

The White House also softened its language on purchases from the US, replacing “committed to buy $500 billion” with “intends to buy” American products. The word “agricultural” was removed from the list as well, aligning the fact sheet with the February 7 joint statement issued by both countries.

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There was no immediate response from the White House on why the revisions were made.