India-U.S. trade deal: Deadlock over agri continues, but Trump surprise not ruled out
Officials, however, are not ruling out a last-minute surprise from U.S. President Donald Trump, similar to what happened with Indonesia and Vietnam.
'The Indian team is back from the U.S. and has left them with what India has to offer,' an official aware of the negotiations told The Hindu. 'Now, whether they accept the terms or not is up to them. Agriculture remains a major issue where there is lack of agreement.'
India has been resisting the opening up of the agriculture sector to imports to protect domestic farmers. According to the official, however, opening up the Indian market to U.S. agricultural imports is not just about market access.
'India is one of the few countries that is pushing very hard for a deal,' the official said. 'So, it is likely a deal with India will be concluded before the U.S. concludes a deal with the EU or Japan. If agriculture is excluded from the India deal, then that could set the precedent for the EU and Japan deals, and the U.S. doesn't want to risk that.'
However, according to another source, the bulk of India's negotiation points are now aimed at a broader Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) by September or October this year, rather than a 'mini deal' before August 1. Yet, the government is prepared for a surprise deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.
'See what happened with Indonesia and Vietnam; the U.S. President announced details of the deal that both Indonesian and Vietnamese negotiators said were not part of what they agreed to,' the second source said. 'This was done after a phone conversation between Mr. Trump and the heads of Indonesia and Vietnam, respectively. The same can always pop up with India; we have not ruled it out.'
Both sources confirmed that, while agriculture and dairy remain hurdles from the Indian side, a key hurdle from the U.S. side is their reluctance to reduce import duties on automotive components to zero.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Judge weighing disciplinary referral for DOJ lawyers in Venezuela deportations case
By Jan Wolfe Judge weighing disciplinary referral for DOJ lawyers in Venezuela deportations case WASHINGTON, - U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said on Thursday he may initiate disciplinary proceedings against Justice Department lawyers for their conduct in a lawsuit brought by Venezuelans challenging their removal to a Salvadoran prison in March. Boasberg, a prominent Washington, D.C., judge who has drawn President Donald Trump's ire, said during a court hearing that a recent whistleblower complaint had strengthened the argument that Trump administration officials engaged in criminal contempt of court by failing to turn around deportation flights. Boasberg also raised the prospect of referring Justice Department lawyers to state bar associations, which have the authority to discipline unethical conduct by attorneys. "I will certainly be assessing whether government counsel's conduct and veracity to the court warrant a referral to state bars or our grievance committee, which determines lawyers' fitness to practice in our court," Boasberg said. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. Boasberg has been hearing an American Civil Liberties Union lawsuit brought on behalf of alleged Venezuelan gang members removed from the U.S. under a rarely invoked 18th-century law. The detainees in the case were returned to Venezuela last week as part of a prisoner exchange, after spending four months in El Salvador's CECOT prison. The migrants' lawyers have disputed the gang membership claims and said their clients were not given a chance to contest the government's assertions. Boasberg said in April that the Trump administration appeared to have acted 'in bad faith' when it hurriedly assembled three deportation flights on March 15 at the same time that he was conducting emergency court proceedings to assess the legality of the effort. In court filings, Justice Department lawyers have disputed that they disobeyed a court order, saying remarks Boasberg made from the bench were not legally binding. In a 2-1 order, a federal appeals court in April temporarily paused Boasberg's effort to further investigate whether the Trump administration engaged in criminal contempt. Boasberg said during Thursday's hearing that the delay from the appeals court was frustrating for the plaintiffs, and that a whistleblower complaint from Erez Reuveni, a former Justice Department attorney who was fired in April, strengthened the case for contempt. Reuveni described three separate incidents when Justice Department leaders defied court orders related to the deportation of immigrants living in the country illegally. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in a post on X, called Reuveni a "disgruntled employee" and a "leaker." This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Over 2 lakh Indians gave up citizenship in 2024, reveals government data
More than 2 lakh Indians gave up their citizenship in 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday. While the figure is similar to that of the previous year, it is slightly lower, data shared by the government revealed. The figure of 2,06,378 Indians in 2024 is slightly lower than the data recorded in 2023 and 2022, but is higher than that in 2021, 2020 and 2019.( (Getty Images/iStockphoto)) MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh shared the data in response to a question on renouncement of Indian citizenship, asked in Rajya Sabha. A look at how many Indians let go of citizenship in previous years: 2024: 2,06,378 2023: 2,16,219 2022: 2,25,620 2021: 1,63,370 2020: 85,256 2019: 1,44,017 The Ministry of External Affairs was asked if it was aware that there was an upward trend in the number of Indians relinquishing Indian citizenship. However, the data shared in response to the question showed that there was no linear increase in the number of people who gave up their Indian citizenship since 2019. The figure of 2,06,378 Indians in 2024 is slightly lower than the data recorded in 2023 and 2022, but is higher than that in 2021, 2020 and 2019. How Indian citizenship is renounced The government was also asked if it undertakes a through inspection before acceding to the request of giving up Indian citizenship. In response, it detailed the procedure under which one can relinquish the citizenship. In order to give up citizenship, one has to make an application at After this, their original passport and other details will be verified, upon which the documents will be sent to relevant government departments for their feedback, to be submitted within 30 days. Once the particulars of the declaration made by the applicant are verified, the renunciation certificate is approved online after 30 days of acknowledgement.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
19 minutes ago
- First Post
Operation Sindoor: India targeted terror networks, says govt; denies foreign pressure behind ceasefire
Operation Sindoor was launched in response to a 'barbaric' attack by 'Pakistansponsored terrorists', and the action focussed on dismantling terror infrastructure and neutralising terrorists likely to be sent across to India, the government said on Thursday. read more The central government on Thursday said that Operation Sindoor was launched in response to a 'barbaric' cross-border attack by terrorists backed by Pakistan, with a focused aim to destroy terror infrastructure and eliminate terrorists poised to infiltrate into India. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the operation was 'focussed, measured and non-escalatory'. Responding to a question on whether Operation Sindoor was initiated due to international pressure, the minister clarified that the action was prompted by the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, and not due to any external compulsion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman also asked about the impact of 'sudden announcement of ceasefire in Operation Sindoor' on the morale of the Indian forces which were 'achieving significant success', but suddenly 'declaring ceasefire was against their morale and the sentiments of the people of the country'. Union minister Singh said Operation Sindoor was launched to respond to a 'barbaric cross-border terror attack by Pakistan-sponsored terrorists. It focussed on dismantling terrorist infrastructure and neutralising terrorists likely to be sent across to India'. Pakistan, however, attempted targeting Indian civilian areas, in addition to some military facilities, he said. 'These provocations and escalatory actions by Pakistan were met with a strong and decisive response from the Indian armed forces, inflicting significant damage on the Pakistani military. Subsequently, on 10 May, 2025, the Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan approached his Indian counterpart to request for cessation of firing and military activities, which was agreed to later that day,' the MoS said. Under Operation Sindoor, India had decimated nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on May 7 in pre-dawn precision strikes. It was carried out to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam terror strike. In a separate query, the MEA was also asked whether the ministry had taken efforts to 'alienate' Pakistan on world forum. As part of the UN Security Council's routine annual process, the Chairs and Vice- Chairs of its subsidiary bodies and committees are selected from amongst its permanent and elected non-permanent members. In addition to Russia and France, Pakistan has been selected as one of the Vice-Chairs of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee for 2025, Singh said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD It may be noted that India was the Chair of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee in 2022. Similarly, India was also the Chair of the same committee during its 2011-12 term, the MoS added. 'The Government of India has been sensitising all concerned interlocutors on the menace of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. Due to India's persistent efforts, the global community has a greater understanding of India's concerns on cross-border terrorism,' he said. India's efforts over the years have led to listing of several Pakistan-based terrorists and terrorist entities under the UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee and the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) 'grey listing of Pakistan', the minister said. The UNSC press statement in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack also 'strongly condemned' the terror attack and acknowledged the need to hold the perpetrators, organisers, sponsors and financiers of the attack accountable, he said. Several world leaders have recognised and supported India's actions to combat terrorism following the Pahalgam attack. Most recently, the US has designated The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, he said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In a separate query, the MEA was asked whether the government has 'formally raised concerns' with the US regarding continued military aid and arms supplies to Pakistan, which could be 'misused against India'; and whether India has taken 'diplomatic steps' to counter 'growing China–Pakistan military cooperation, particularly in PoK'. Singh in his written response said the government of India 'closely monitors' all military and security-related developments in its neighbourhood and regularly takes up 'our concerns in this regard in interactions with our partners at appropriate levels'. 'India has consistently conveyed its concerns in this regard to the United States, with a view to ensuring that these developments do not compromise India's security or regional stability,' he said. It has been India's consistent and principled position that the entire Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh 'are, have been, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India'. The government closely monitors all developments that have a bearing on India's national interest and takes timely and necessary steps to safeguard its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security interests, the MoS said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Counter-terrorism remains a vital pillar of the India-US comprehensive global strategic partnership. India and the United States maintain a robust institutional framework for cooperation, including a dedicated Counter-Terrorism Dialogue mechanism that meets regularly. 'Both sides collaborate closely on terrorist designations at domestic and international forums, and extend mutual legal assistance, including on extradition matters,' he added. With inputs from agencies
