NEW DELHI : India may be more agreeable to cutting tariffs on labour-intensive sectors such as gems and jewellery, automobile parts and textiles as part of the proposed trade deal with the United States (US), a government official said on condition of anonymity.

This would be in return for US lowering tariffs, possibly on its industrial goods exports to India. “The labour-intensive sectors include engineering goods as well,” this official added. Labour-intensive refers to a sector that requires a larger proportion of work-force to manufacture a product.

The effective customs duty on . . .