Amidst an economic crisis engulfing the entire country, the Legislative Assembly elections in Bihar are attracting a lot of attention. Expectations that Chirag Paswan, the son of deceased Bihar strongman Ram Vilas Paswan, would fill the shoes of his father have fallen flat. By showing that he is more loyal to the service of Prime Minister Narendra Modi than his father, he has found his identity in the state Assembly elections. Trying to bank on the sympathy wave, Chirag is trying to gain the support of voters by becoming a Modi bhakth instead of trying to fight the elections as a representative of the Dalit community. Even to raise his voice against the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who heads the JD(U)-BJP coalition Government, Chirag is using Modi’s name. It appears that Chirag does not have faith in his father’s political charisma.
At the same time, Nitish Kumar’s plight is pathetic. BJP entered Bihar through Nitish’s socialist principles and pro-people administration. But today, a situation has been created where Nitish Kumar has to ask for votes in the name of Modi. But what has Prime Minister Modi achieved? Nobody seems to have answers to the questions about the developmental programs based on which elections are being contested. Are they trying to portray multiple failures over demonetization, GST, and lockdown as their achievements? Or, have Nitish and Chirag Paswan come forward to claim partnership in Ram Mandir, Patel statue, and other such projects?
Presently, the one positive factor in favor of NDA is the absence of strong opposition. In fact, the main opponents are the anti-people policies of the Centre and State NDA governments. In the present elections, BJP has embraced ‘Corona.’ In fact, the Modi-led government welcomed the Coronavirus by rolling out the red carpet. If the airports were shut in February, there would not have been any need for a complete lockdown in the country. Now, the Modi government has come forward to use its achievements of spreading the Coronavirus across the country in the Assembly elections. The NDA has announced in its election manifesto that it would provide free vaccines to the people of Bihar.
The government should first issue a clarification for its failure which resulted in the arrival of the Coronavirus to the country. It should tender an apology for making people bang plates and lit the lamps to take on the Coronavirus. It should answer questions about why the number of Coronavirus-infected persons did not reduce even after a two-month lockdown that pushed people to the brink of economic disaster and destroyed the economy. The mammoth and the humane problem of migrant laborers and their deaths and other issues are left unanswered. Reluctant to address these problems, the government is trying to fool the voters of Bihar by including in its manifesto the promise of providing a vaccine which simply does not exist as of now.
Prime Minister Modi should at least try to address the anguish of people by informing them about the latest development with regard to the production of the Coronavirus vaccine. But the government does not have any such information. In such a situation, without any idea about when the vaccine will be ready, the manifesto’s promise of distributing free vaccine seems a joke. It is similar to how people were cheated on the promise of bringing back black money from foreign countries and depositing Rs 15 lakh each in people’s accounts. Moreover, will the government provide free vaccines only in Bihar? Don’t other states belong to India? How fair is it to limit free health service to one state? Does it mean that people of other states should pay for the vaccine? This shows the bankruptcy of the manifesto. Today, the government must provide assurance to people about the deflated economy. It should announce programs for migrant laborers who are jobless and are virtually on the streets. It should stop talking about the yet-to-be-discovered vaccine. It should provide assurance about addressing the alarming rise of diseases such as tuberculosis. Any promise about giving the vaccine free for the states that it favors and selling it in other states reflects an absolute lack of sensitivity on the part of the government.
Bihar has experienced the maximum pain and distress relating to the problem of migrant laborers. The Modi Government should now ideally talk about hunger and employment in Bihar. It should apply its mind about how to effectively provide medicines and care to the Coronavirus-hit population in the absence of the vaccine not only in Bihar but in the entire country. People are not fools to expect free Corona vaccine. People are more concerned about getting free food grains distributed at the village level. Similarly, if action is taken to control the rising petrol and onion prices, people of not just Bihar but all over the country can heave a sigh of relief.
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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.
