Ludhiana, India – On the floor of a Ludhiana spinning mill, 29-year-old Pankaj Kumar stands at his station, his fingers a blur as he knots loose threads and feeds them onto a spinning wheel. The yarn will soon make its way to the city’s textile factories, which produce woollen knitwear, hosiery, and other garments, much of it destined for the United States.

Kumar has worked in different spinneries for nearly a decade, but for the past four months, this one has been his livelihood, bringing in 18,000 rupees ($203.87) a month. But now that US President Donald Trump has slapped India with 50 percent tariffs, Kumar’s income is uncertain. “I don’t know,” he says. “The factory owner was saying we are unsure how much to manufacture in the coming months. They might not need me.”

Rajesh Kumar,

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