An orphan called Red Fort adopted by industrialists
Only orphans are given away for adoption. The main reason behind this rescuing of children discarded in garbage bins, drains and hospitals is to share the joy of having an offspring, and add value to the life of parents who want children but cannot have them for whatever reasons. No person has ever given away his or her child in adoption to anyone else. And even if they are reeling in poverty they would not like to be deprived of the joy of bringing up children. But only the poor give away their children for adoption out of helplessness and with the hope that at least their children’s future can be secure that way.
But then, the law never approves of this. If at all anyone gives their children away in adoption to the rich, legal action can be initiated against them. Unfortunately, today the authorities are giving away everything in adoption to the rich and famous, including the land, water, forest, natural resources everything. The tribals who lived in the forest since generations, were asked to leave forest so that they can be turned into national forests and eventually resorts can be constructed by the big names in hospitality.
Industrialists are gradually gaining control of everything that belonged to the poor. Whether it is the space or land or even the seas, they are the sole authorities of these aspects. They have taken away the rights of Mogaveera on the seas and sea produce. Mogaveeras would not only fish in the rough waters, but they also ensured the seas were not polluted by those who wanted to ride its waves. But according to industralists, sea is a goose that lays golden eggs. They are fishing in the deep water of the sea to empty out the smallest of small fishes too. Just the way as extensive drilling of borewell has led to collapse in the water table, seas are turning into graveyards of all varieties of fish owing to extensive fishing. Those who lived in the beach have been chased away to make way for mega resorts. Now, natural inhabitants of these spaces need to obtain permission from the industrialists if they have to even take a stroll around the sea. Public sector industries are being privatized gradually. Railway department has been privatized to some extent. Air India will soon fall into the hands of some rich investor. Private players are entering govt. companies as far as insurance is concerned. The banks which were released from the clutches of private players, are facing the danger of being privatized again.
One would have assumed the party BJP which often speaks about the glorious history and culture of the land would try to protect Indian heritage at the very least. But today Adani and Ambanis are ruling the country with BJP at the forefront. Their money is seen in memorials of this country. Now, in what looks like a result of their own interference in the government along with their advice, the nation seems to be listening to them beyond a certain permissible point. The government is giving away monuments in adoption to make good for the lacunae of money we are witnessing now. Now the red fort has been put on sale for Dalmia group to buy it for a mere Rs 25 crore. Dalmia Bharat Samooha is the first company to have adopted a heritage monument.
Red Fort and India share a very close relationship with each other. The very first bugle of freedom fight was sounded in 1857 from the very Fort. Independent India’s first Prime Minister addressed the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort. Every year, Prime Minister of India gives a speech from the very fort which has safeguarded the democracy of this country. Government declared that it would not be able to take care of this and gave away the responsibility to a company for a mere Rs 20 crore annually. Is this the sorry state of affairs?
Red fort gets more money from the visitors themselves, than the amount for which it has now been mentioned. The government could have improved its condition by using the income red fort generates. But this looks like a helpless situation where a poor mom gives away the child for adoption. The Red Fort could have been improved using its own revenue. A corporate would never understand the value of heritage. He may sell the resources available there like cut down the trees to sell wood etc. The difference between a commoner and industrialist is massive.
A rich man looks at Red Fort like an investment, but a commoner looks at it as identity. An industrialist may start a resort inside the fort and commercialise it. Every brick of this monument would be telling a story and hence should not be parted with. But the Modi government known for drastic economic decisions has made another one and given red fort away in agreement with Dalmia group. By now a lot of monuments have gone into the pockets of businessmen. Some day we may lose all historical spaces and become a country without references to the history. A policy made by the British that adopted children do not have any property rights led to independence struggle. Very soon this would be repeating. Our people will fight to save their rights over land, water and historical surroundings in the near future if governments continue to be this blind.
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Texas halts H-1B visas at state universities, agencies; to affect Indians
Houston (US) (PTI): Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered state agencies and public universities to immediately halt new H-1B visa petitions, tightening hiring rules at taxpayer-funded institutions, a step likely to impact Indian professionals.
The freeze will remain in effect through May 2027.
The directive issued on Tuesday said that the state agencies and public universities must stop filing new petitions unless they receive written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission.
The governor's order, in a red state that is home to thousands of H-1B visa holders, comes as the Trump administration has initiated steps to reshape the visa programme.
“In light of recent reports of abuse in the federal H-1B visa programme, and amid the federal government’s ongoing review of that programme to ensure American jobs are going to American workers, I am directing all state agencies to immediately freeze new H-1B visa petitions as outlined in this letter,” Abbot said.
Institutions must also report on H-1B usage, including numbers, job roles, countries of origin, and visa expiry dates, the letter said.
US President Donald Trump on September 19 last year signed a proclamation ‘Restriction on entry of certain non-immigrant workers’ that restricted the entry into the US of those workers whose H-1B petitions are not accompanied or supplemented by a payment of USD 1,00,000.
The H1-B visa fee of USD 1,00,000 would be applicable only to new applicants, i.e. all new H-1B visa petitions submitted after September 21, including those for the FY2026 lottery.
Indians make up an estimated 71 per cent of all approved H-1B applications in recent years, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with China in the second spot. The major fields include technology, engineering, medicine, and research.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is the second-highest beneficiary with 5,505 approved H-1B visas in 2025, after Amazon (10,044 workers on H-1B visas), according to the USCIS. Other top beneficiaries include Microsoft (5,189), Meta (5,123), Apple (4,202), Google (4,181), Deloitte (2,353), Infosys (2,004), Wipro (1,523) and Tech Mahindra Americas (951).
Texas public universities employ hundreds of foreign faculty and researchers, many from India, across engineering, healthcare, and technology fields.
Date from Open Doors -- a comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars studying or teaching at higher education institutions in the US -- for 2022-2023 showed 2,70,000 students from India embarked on graduate and undergraduate degrees in US universities, accounting for 25 per cent of the international student population in the US and 1.5 per cent of the total student population.
Indian students infuse roughly USD 10 billion annually into universities and related businesses across the country through tuition and other expenses – while also creating around 93,000 jobs, according to the Open Doors data.
Analysts warn the freeze could slow recruitment of highly skilled professionals, affecting academic research and innovation.
Supporters say the directive protects local jobs, while critics caution it could weaken Texas’ competitiveness in higher education and research.
The order comes amid broader debate in the US over skilled immigration and state-level interventions in federal programmes.
H-1B visas allow US companies to hire technically-skilled professionals that are not easily available in America. Initially granted for three years, these can be extended for another three years.
In September 2025, Trump had also signed an executive order ‘The Gold Card’, aimed at setting up a new visa pathway for those committed to supporting the United States; with individuals who can pay USD 1 million to the US Treasury, or USD 2 million if a corporation is sponsoring them, to get access to expedited visa treatment and a path to a Green Card.
