Unclear Timeline, No Specifics On Fine Print: Questions Loom Over Actual Rollout Of 18% Tariff Cuts After US-India Trade Deal

New Delhi: While Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the new India-US trade agreement, which was announced on February 2 as a triumph of ‘sustained patience’ before NDA lawmakers on Tuesday, a cloud of uncertainty hangs over the implementation timeline and the specific concessions made by New Delhi.

While the headline-grabbing deal slashes US tariffs on Indian goods from 50% to 18% and scraps the Russian oil penalty, critics warn that there is still no technical blueprint to explain how these sweeping changes will be implemented on the ground, as per reports.

Although US President Donald Trump called the changes “effective immediately” on Truth Social, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed the development shortly afterward, yet in the absence of a concrete blueprint, much of what we know remains subjective interpretation of political rhetoric instead of facts found in a published text.

The 18% Question: When and How?

Despite the euphoria on Dalal Street today, trade experts and opposition leaders are raising red flags over what they call a "detail-light" announcement that leaves critical sectors, from agriculture to IT services in a state of flux. 

• Rollout When: Although the announcements by the two world leaders grab centre stage, the rollout schedule remains ambiguous, as per sources. 
• Joint treaty: Sources say no official joint treaty has been signed or "inked" by the two governments in connection with the deal.
• Market access: While the government has highlighted the relief for Indian exporters, it has yet to disclose the specific reciprocal concessions or the exact level of market access granted to the U.S. in return. 
• Fine print: Consequently, the crucial fine print of the agreement, including which Indian sectors will be opened to American competition, remains shielded from public view. 
• Legal Text: Without a legal text, it remains unknown which specific product categories benefit first.

The 'Buy American' Commitment

While President Trump has publicly claimed that India committed to a 'Buy American' pledge at an unprecedented level, New Delhi has yet to officially confirm whether such a specific mandate was part of the final agreement.

Russian oil clause

Furthermore, President Trump explicitly linked the tariff reduction to India's pledge to halt Russian crude imports, yet the agreement remains shrouded in strategic ambiguity. 

There is currently no public roadmap detailing how India will substitute nearly 1.5 to 1.8 million barrels per day of Russian supply, or whether a specific grace period has been granted for existing contracts.

'Fine Print' gap

The 'Fine Print' gap is most prominent in the services sector, where the agreement remains conspicuously silent. 

To date, there has been no official word on visa reforms, digital service taxes, or market access for Indian IT firms, leaving the backbone of India’s export economy without a confirmed path forward in this new trade era.

Agricultural Sector Commitments

The 'Agricultural Sector Commitments' represent a critical gap in the deal’s transparency. 

Despite U.S. officials touting a victory for American agribusiness, the absence of a technical blueprint has left the Indian dairy and farming communities without a clear understanding of the new import quotas or tariff structures they might soon face.

The Silence from Delhi

The Indian government has yet to confirm the exact nature of these reciprocal concessions.

While President Trump declared the 18% tariff rate "effective immediately" on February 2, 2026, the lack of a formal technical blueprint has left the actual implementation timeline in a state of confusion because as of now, the agreement exists primarily in the form of social media posts and high-level briefings. 

Without a formal dispute resolution mechanism, industry insiders worry about what happens if either side backtracks.

Criticism follows

The opposition has sharply criticised the deal, with the Congress party accusing the government of "total capitulation" and a lack of transparency. 

Senior leaders, including Jairam Ramesh, have dubbed the situation "Trump-nirbharta" (dependence on Trump), questioning why the nuances of the agreement, including the halt of Russian oil purchases and the potential opening of India’s agriculture sector, were revealed by Washington rather than New Delhi.

Demanding that the "fine print" be tabled in Parliament immediately, the opposition warned that without a clear blueprint, the deal appears to be an "economic surrender" that may compromise the interests of Indian farmers and the nation’s strategic autonomy.

Karnataka Minister for Electronics Priyank Kharge said "The govt of India has become a madhouse. It is nothing but the GST Bachao Utsav, which the government celebrated so much. First you implement high GSTs, then you reduce it after 8 years, then you celebrate reduction. Similarly, the US tariff has been reduced to 18%, so you are celebrating a reduction while there is zero tariff on US goods...I don't know what the Government of India is celebrating. I don't see sense in this."

Congress' KC Venugopal stated"One of the shocking incidents happened yesterday. The trade deal between India and the US was unilaterally announced by the US President. It had never happened in the history of India-US trade relations. We are going to raise this.".

Randeep Surjewala seeks parliamentary discussion on India-US deal adding, "It is the biggest misfortune of the country that the first BJP hatched a conspiracy to sell out agriculture through the three black laws. Now, once again, just as the US Secretary of Agriculture said under the India-US Trade Deal, all agricultural products of the US will be sold in India at zero per cent duty. There cannot be a bigger betrayal than this for the farmers of the country. What is the meaning of this? US cotton, maize, wheat, dairy products, almonds, and apples will be sold duty-free in India."

Also Read: 'Patience Paid Off, Big Win For Diplomacy': PM Modi Hails Landmark India-US Trade Deal At NDA Parliamentary Party Meet