Trump’s Tariffs Threaten India’s ‘Make in India’ Ambitions and Millions of Jobs

New Delhi – Millions of Indian workers face economic uncertainty after the United States imposed 50% tariffs on Indian exports, including textiles, steel, diamonds, and automobiles. The levies, among the highest ever applied by the US on a trade partner, come under former President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda, aimed at reducing the $45.7 billion trade deficit with India in 2024.

For Jinul Abedeen, a skilled artisan at Orient Craft in New Delhi, the tariffs could unravel decades of work. Abedeen spent a year mastering Zardozi, a centuries-old embroidery technique, before building a career creating garments for global brands like Gap, Ralph Lauren, and American Eagle. “If the company is in trouble, we are in trouble. If the country is in trouble, we are in trouble,” he said.

The tariffs are partly a response to India’s increased purchase of Russian oil, following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. But they clash directly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” initiative, which aims to transform the nation into a manufacturing powerhouse and lift millions out of poverty.

At Orient Craft, which exports around 82% of its products to the US, workers are anxious about the future. Neeraj Pandey, employed at the factory for 22 years, used his income to fund his children’s higher education. “We could lose everything,” he said. Meanwhile, Sumitra Devi, a former housewife turned artisan in Jharkhand, expressed fears that her daughters’ educational opportunities could be lost.

Experts warn that the tariffs could deal a blow to India’s economic growth, especially as tens of millions of young people struggle to enter the workforce in the world’s fastest-growing major economy. The disruption threatens not only individual livelihoods but also India’s broader vision of becoming a global manufacturing hub.

As the global trade war escalates, the human cost of economic policy is becoming clear in workshops and factories across India. For workers like Abedeen, Pandey, and Devi, the stakes are deeply personal, linking daily survival to international political decisions thousands of miles away.