U.S. tariffs threaten 'Lakhs' of Indian jobs, warns CTI
Published By : Chinmaya Dehury
| August 27, 2025 4:09 PM
New Delhi, Aug 27: The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has issued a stark warning saying that the U.S.’s move to impose a 50 percent tariff on Indian exports could devastate vital industrial sectors and place "lakhs" of jobs at risk.
In its letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal emphasized that the steep increase impacts a wide spectrum of industries—textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, auto components, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, seafood, electronics, and more.
The hike will render Indian goods up to 35 percent more expensive in the U.S. market compared to competitors, he said.
The tariff spike threatens over USD 48 billion worth of exports, covering engineering goods, jewels, electronics, and pharmaceutical products, making Indian exports significantly less competitive.
CTI highlighted the scale of exposure across sectors:
Engineering goods: exports worth ₹1.7 lakh crore
Gems & jewellery: exports worth ₹90,000 crore
Pharmaceuticals: exports worth ₹92,000 crore
CTI urged India to retaliate with counter-tariffs on U.S. imports and to minimize dependency on American goods. It recommended expanding trade outreach to countries like Germany, the U.K., Singapore, and Malaysia, where demand for Indian engineering products is on the rise.
