Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Time to push back: On India and the continuing U.S. pressure

Time to push back: On India and the continuing U.S. pressure

The U.S. has been emboldened (हिम्मत बढ़ाना, प्रोत्साहित करना) to make increasing (बढ़ता हुआ) demands on India

The latest accusation (आरोप, इल्ज़ाम) levelled by the United States against India has the potential (संभावना, क्षमता) to be the most harmful to the Indian economy. A recent White House (the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States, often used to refer to the US government; U.S. administration, U.S. government) report, naming (नाम लेना, उल्लेख करना) around 40 countries in all, has said that India ranks among (in or included within a particular group or number of people or things; in the midst of, within, included in) the top ‘enablers (a person, country, organisation, or factor that helps make something possible or easier to happen; facilitator, supporter, contributor, assisting factor)’ of China’s evasion (the act of avoiding or escaping something, especially a legal obligation or payment; avoidance, circumvention, bypassing. sidestepping) of U.S. tariffs (शुल्क, आयात शुल्क). The accusation is that India and these other countries are importing Chinese goods (सामान, वस्तुएँ), making minor modifications (बदलाव, संशोधन) to them, and then exporting them to the U.S. at lower tariffs than what Chinese goods would have faced (सामना करना, झेलना). The fact that (यह तथ्य कि, यह सच्चाई कि) Chinese imports form (constitute, comprise, make up, compose) a significant pillar (आधार, मुख्य सहारा) of Indian manufacturing is no secret (well-known, evident, obvious, common knowledge, out in the open). Yet, the nature (प्रकृति, स्वरूप) of these imports is slowly changing. India is gradually (धीरे-धीरे, क्रमशः) moving away from importing finished products, making cosmetic (superficial, surface, external, minor) changes, and selling them. Instead, the share of intermediate goods (semi-finished products, semi-processed goods, partly finished goods, component parts) in Indian imports from China has been steadily (लगातार, निरंतर) rising. That is, India is doing much of (a large part or amount of something; most of, a lot of, a large part of, a great deal of) its own assembly (the action of gathering together components to make a finished product; manufacture, fabrication) and manufacturing in several sectors now, relying on China and other countries for the parts needed. This shift (change) is an important step towards full-scale (comprehensive, thorough, extensive, exhaustive) manufacturing in India. The U.S. has not yet announced punitive (inflicted or intended as punishment; penal, disciplinary, corrective, retaliatory) actions based on its assessment (evaluation, judgment, appraisal, analysis) of apparent (evident, obvious, clear, seeming) Chinese tariff evasion (the practice of avoiding or reducing legally payable tariffs on imported goods, often by misrepresenting their origin, value, or classification; tariff avoidance, customs-duty evasion, duty circumvention), though that eventuality (a possible outcome; possibility, likelihood, prospect, contingency) is conceivable (imaginable, possible, plausible, credible). However (nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, still), should it do so, India must resist (withstand, oppose, defy, fight) bowing to U.S. pressure on this issue. As even (used to emphasize that something is acknowledged by a specific source; as indeed, as explicitly, as frankly, as openly) the government has admitted (confess to be true or to be the case; acknowledge, concede, confess, accept), Chinese imports right now are an important part of the Make in India (a Government of India initiative launched in 2014 to promote domestic manufacturing, attract investment, and encourage the production of goods within India) story (account, narrative).

The fear (apprehension, anxiety, worry, concern) of India bowing to U.S. pressure is based on precedent (example, model, standard, pattern). In his first term (period, spell, stint, duration) as U.S. President, Donald Trump railed against India’s tariffs on high-end (denoting the most expensive of a range of products; premium, luxury, top-tier, exclusive) motorcycles. In 2018, India cut (reduce, decrease, lower, slash) these tariffs to 50% from the earlier 60%-75%, and then cut them further to 40% in February 2025, before trade deal (an agreement between two or more countries regarding the terms of trade; trade agreement, commercial pact, economic treaty) talks (formal discussions, negotiations, dialogue, consultations) had even started. Similarly (in a similar way; likewise, correspondingly, equivalently, comparably), it slashed (reduce greatly; cut, reduce, decrease, lower) the import duties on shrimp feed (specially formulated food designed for the growth of shrimp in aquaculture; shrimp nourishment, shrimp nutrition) and its components (a part or element of a larger whole) in the February 2024 Budget, a key (of crucial importance; crucial, vital, essential, critical) ask (a demand or request; request, demand, requirement, appeal) of the U.S. It did the same with tariffs on frozen (preserved by freezing; chilled, iced, refrigerated, cold-stored) duck and turkey. The pressure of the 50% punitive tariffs pushed India to diversify away from (move investments or reliance away from a single source to reduce risk; branch out from, shift from, pivot from, transition from) Russian oil, despite (in spite of, notwithstanding, regardless of, ignoring) India’s strident (loud, vociferous, forceful, aggressive) claims (assertion, declaration, statement, allegation) of energy sovereignty (a nation’s ability to control its own energy sources and secure its energy future; energy independence, energy security, self-sufficiency in energy) and the discount it was receiving. Russia’s share in India’s oil imports fell to below 20% in January 2026, from nearly (very close to; almost, practically, virtually, all but) double that when the 50% tariffs were imposed (levy, charge, apply, enforce) six months earlier. This had happened with Venezuelan oil in 2019 as well (in addition or also; additionally, also, too, moreover). It was the West Asia crisis (a period of serious political, military, and regional instability in West Asia, involving conflict and tensions among countries and groups in the region), and the U.S.’s temporary reprieve (a temporary escape from an undesirable fate or bad situation; respite, delay, postponement, break), that has seen India turning back to Russian oil. Allowing (permit, authorize, enable, let) FDI in the e-commerce (online shopping, digital commerce, internet trading, electronic business) inventory (stock, supplies, reserves) model, as India recently did, was something Amazon had been lobbying (seek to influence a politician or public official on an issue; influence, persuade, urge, push) for for a decade (a period of ten years; ten-year period), and a dilution (the action of making something weaker in force, content, or value; weakening, reduction, lessening, watering down) of India’s long-held (deeply rooted, long-standing, established, entrenched) stance (position, viewpoint, standpoint, perspective). The U.S. can wield (have and be able to use power or influence; exercise, exert, hold, maintain) immense (massive, enormous, huge, vast) pressure and so concessions (compromise, allowance, yielding, surrender) are understandable (natural, reasonable, logical, comprehensible). But that has emboldened it to make increasing demands. India needs to start pushing back.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.continuing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - जारी, लगातार
English Meaning - ongoing, persistent, sustained, unbroken, uninterrupted.

2.embolden (verb)

Hindi Meaning - हिम्मत बढ़ाना, प्रोत्साहित करना
English Meaning - give someone the courage or confidence to do something; encourage, hearten, strengthen, fortify.

3.increasing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बढ़ता हुआ
English Meaning - growing, rising, mounting, escalating.

4.accusation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आरोप, इल्ज़ाम
English Meaning - a claim that someone has done something wrong or illegal; allegation, charge, complaint, indictment.

5.potential (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संभावना, क्षमता
English Meaning - possibility, likelihood, capability, prospect.

6.name (verb)

Hindi Meaning - नाम लेना, उल्लेख करना
English Meaning - mention, identify, specify, cite, designate.

7.tariff (noun)

Hindi Meaning - शुल्क, आयात शुल्क
English Meaning - a tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports; tax, duty, toll, levy.

8.goods (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सामान, वस्तुएँ
English Meaning - products, commodities, merchandise, items.

9.modification (noun)

Hindi Meaning - बदलाव, संशोधन
English Meaning - alteration, adjustment, adaptation, revision.

10.face (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सामना करना, झेलना
English Meaning - encounter, experience, confront, endure.

11.the fact that (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - यह तथ्य कि, यह सच्चाई कि
English Meaning - used to refer to a particular situation or truth; reality, truth, actuality, certainty.

12.pillar (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आधार, मुख्य सहारा
English Meaning - foundation, support, mainstay, cornerstone.

13.nature (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकृति, स्वरूप
English Meaning - the basic character or essential quality of something; essence, quality, attribute.

14.gradually (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - धीरे-धीरे, क्रमशः
English Meaning - slowly, steadily, progressively.

15.steadily (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - लगातार, निरंतर
English Meaning - continuously, constantly, consistently, progressively.

16.in all (phrase)

English Meaning - in total or altogether; altogether, collectively, overall, entirely.

17.no secret (phrase)

English Meaning - well-known, evident, obvious, common knowledge, out in the open.

18.push back (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to oppose or resist a plan, an idea, or a pressure; resist, oppose, counter, defy.

19.level against (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to make a criticism or accusation against someone or something; accuse, charge, allege against, bring an accusation against.

20.White House (proper noun)

English Meaning - the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States, often used to refer to the US government; U.S. administration, U.S. government.

21.among (preposition)

English Meaning - in or included within a particular group or number of people or things; in the midst of, within, included in.

22.enabler (noun)

English Meaning - a person, country, organisation, or factor that helps make something possible or easier to happen; facilitator, supporter, contributor, assisting factor.

23.evasion (noun)

English Meaning - the act of avoiding or escaping something, especially a legal obligation or payment; avoidance, circumvention, bypassing. sidestepping.

24.tariff evasion (noun)

English Meaning - the practice of avoiding or reducing legally payable tariffs on imported goods, often by misrepresenting their origin, value, or classification; tariff avoidance, customs-duty evasion, duty circumvention.

25.form (verb)

English Meaning - constitute, comprise, make up, compose.

26.move away from (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - stop doing or using something to change to something else; abandon, forsake, drop, discontinue.

27.cosmetic (adjective)

English Meaning - superficial, surface, external, minor.

28.intermediate goods (noun)

English Meaning - semi-finished products, semi-processed goods, partly finished goods, component parts.

29.much of (phrase)

English Meaning - a large part or amount of something; most of, a lot of, a large part of, a great deal of.

30.assembly (noun)

English Meaning - the action of gathering together components to make a finished product; manufacture, fabrication.

31.rely on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - depend on, count on, bank on, lean on.

32.shift (noun)

English Meaning - change.

33.full-scale (adjective)

English Meaning - comprehensive, thorough, extensive, exhaustive.

34.punitive (adjective)

English Meaning - inflicted or intended as punishment; penal, disciplinary, corrective, retaliatory.

35.assessment (noun)

English Meaning - evaluation, judgment, appraisal, analysis.

36.apparent (adjective)

English Meaning - evident, obvious, clear, seeming.

37.eventuality (noun)

English Meaning - a possible outcome; possibility, likelihood, prospect, contingency.

38.conceivable (adjective)

English Meaning - imaginable, possible, plausible, credible.

39.however (adverb)

English Meaning - nevertheless, nonetheless, yet, still.

40.resist (verb)

English Meaning - withstand, oppose, defy, fight.

41.bow to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - submit to pressure or demands; yield to, surrender to, give in to, submit to.

42.as even (phrase)

English Meaning - used to emphasize that something is acknowledged by a specific source; as indeed, as explicitly, as frankly, as openly.

43.admit (verb)

English Meaning - confess to be true or to be the case; acknowledge, concede, confess, accept.

44.Make in India (proper noun)

English Meaning - a Government of India initiative launched in 2014 to promote domestic manufacturing, attract investment, and encourage the production of goods within India.

45.story (noun)

English Meaning - account, narrative.

46.fear (noun)

English Meaning - apprehension, anxiety, worry, concern.

47.precedent (noun)

English Meaning - example, model, standard, pattern.

48.term (noun)

English Meaning - period, spell, stint, duration.

49.rail against (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - complain or protest strongly and persistently about; protest against, criticize, condemn, denounce.

50.high-end (adjective)

English Meaning - denoting the most expensive of a range of products; premium, luxury, top-tier, exclusive.

51.cut (verb)

English Meaning - reduce, decrease, lower, slash.

52.trade deal (noun)

English Meaning - an agreement between two or more countries regarding the terms of trade; trade agreement, commercial pact, economic treaty.

53.talks (noun)

English Meaning - formal discussions, negotiations, dialogue, consultations.

54.similarly (adverb)

English Meaning - in a similar way; likewise, correspondingly, equivalently, comparably.

55.slash (verb)

English Meaning - reduce greatly; cut, reduce, decrease, lower.

56.import duty (noun)

English Meaning - a tax collected on imports and some exports by a country’s customs authorities; import tax, tariff, customs duty, toll.

57.shrimp feed (noun)

English Meaning - specially formulated food designed for the growth of shrimp in aquaculture; shrimp nourishment, shrimp nutrition.

58.shrimp (noun)

English Meaning - . a small, swimming sea animal with a shell, long feelers, and ten legs, which is very popular to eat as seafood; a small edible crustacean commonly used as food; shellfish, seafood.

59.component (noun)

English Meaning - a part or element of a larger whole.

60.key (adjective)

English Meaning - of crucial importance; crucial, vital, essential, critical.

61.ask (noun)

English Meaning - a demand or request; request, demand, requirement, appeal.

62.do the same with (phrase)

English Meaning - apply a similar action or treatment to another subject; repeat with, replicate for, emulate with, copy for.

63.frozen (adjective)

English Meaning - preserved by freezing; chilled, iced, refrigerated, cold-stored.

64.diversify away from (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - move investments or reliance away from a single source to reduce risk; branch out from, shift from, pivot from, transition from.

65.despite (preposition)

English Meaning - in spite of, notwithstanding, regardless of, ignoring.

66.strident (adjective)

English Meaning - loud, vociferous, forceful, aggressive.

67.claim (noun)

English Meaning - assertion, declaration, statement, allegation.

68.energy sovereignty (noun)

English Meaning - a nation’s ability to control its own energy sources and secure its energy future; energy independence, energy security, self-sufficiency in energy.

69.fall (verb)

English Meaning - decrease, decline, drop, plummet.

70.nearly (adverb)

English Meaning - very close to; almost, practically, virtually, all but.

71.impose (verb)

English Meaning - levy, charge, apply, enforce.

72.as well (phrase)

English Meaning - in addition or also; additionally, also, too, moreover.

73.West Asia crisis (noun)

English Meaning - a period of serious political, military, and regional instability in West Asia, involving conflict and tensions among countries and groups in the region.

74.reprieve (noun)

English Meaning - a temporary escape from an undesirable fate or bad situation; respite, delay, postponement, break.

75.turn back to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to return to a previous course, choice, or source of support after moving away from it; return to, go back to, revert to, turn again to.

76.allow (verb)

English Meaning - permit, authorize, enable, let.

77.Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) (noun)

English Meaning - an investment made by a firm or individual in one country into business interests located in another country; foreign capital, overseas funding.

78.e-commerce (noun)

English Meaning - online shopping, digital commerce, internet trading, electronic business.

79.inventory (noun)

English Meaning - stock, supplies, reserves.

80.lobby (verb)

English Meaning - seek to influence a politician or public official on an issue; influence, persuade, urge, push.

81.decade (noun)

English Meaning - a period of ten years; ten-year period.

82.dilution (noun)

English Meaning - the action of making something weaker in force, content, or value; weakening, reduction, lessening, watering down.

83.long-held (adjective)

English Meaning - deeply rooted, long-standing, established, entrenched.