India isn’t the freeloader the US makes it out to be

To get the full picture, we must widen the analytical lens. Let’s first take a look at the numbers. India received around $135 billion in remittances in FY25, more than any country has ever received. But this number hides more than it reveals. To put the India-US economic exchange in perspective, let us consider the Gulf region because it is a clear contrast to the American case. Close to nine million Indians work in the six Gulf States, remitting $51 billion a year — roughly 38% of the total we receive. What makes this arrangement uncomplicated is this: Money comes…