Within 24 hours of issuing a fact sheet on the interim India-US trade agreement, the White House has revised key portions of the document, deleting references to pulses and softening language on India’s commitments, triggering fresh debate over the scope of the deal.
The original factsheet, issued on February 9 under the title “The United States and India Announce Historic Trade Deal (Interim Agreement)”, outlined tariff reductions and purchase commitments as part of a reciprocal framework.
The revised version, released on February 10, makes the following changes:
“Certain pulses” removed from the list of US agricultural products on which India would reduce tariffs. The earlier version had specifically mentioned pulses along with tree nuts, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and other items.
The word “committed” used to describe India’s planned purchases of US goods has been replaced with “intends”.
A reference to India scrapping digital services tax has been removed.
A mention of “rules that prohibit the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions” has also been deleted.
The earlier version stated that India “committed” to buying more American products and purchasing over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, agricultural, coal and other goods.
The revised document now states:
“India intends to buy more American products and purchase over $500 billion of US energy, information and communication technology, coal, and other products.”
The joint statement issued last week by the two governments had also used the word “intends” and did not mention pulses among the items eligible for tariff reduction.
The removal of pulses is significant given the political sensitivity of farm imports in India. Pulses are a key staple and a politically charged segment of agricultural trade.
Similarly, the dilution of language around digital services and electronic transmissions suggests that negotiations on digital trade rules remain ongoing rather than finalised.
The revised factsheet now says India is “committed to negotiate a robust set of bilateral digital trade rules”, instead of indicating immediate changes to digital services taxation.
The swift revision indicates that certain elements of the agreement may still be under discussion or subject to domestic consultation.
While the broad contours of the interim deal — tariff reductions on industrial goods and selected agricultural products, and large-scale energy and commodity purchases — remain intact, the softened wording suggests that the final contours of the pact could evolve further.
Markets will watch closely for clarity, particularly in sensitive sectors such as agriculture, digital trade and energy imports, as both countries move towards formalising the interim agreement.
