Pahalgam terror attack victim among 56 awarded by J-K govt
Jammu (PTI): The Jammu and Kashmir government has awarded 56 individuals, including Adil Hussain Shah who lost his life while trying to save tourists during the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, officials said on Sunday.
The recipients come from various backgrounds and have been honoured for their significant contributions in different fields, as stated in an order issued by M Raju, Commissioner Secretary of the General Administrative Department.
Shah, a resident of Hapatnar village in Pahalgam, bravely confronted Pakistani terrorists during an attack on tourists in Baisaran Valley on April 22, resulting in his death along with 25 tourists.
He was posthumously awarded for his bravery, which includes a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh and a citation. Additionally, Police Sub-Inspector Nikhil Kumar from Gangyal Police Station was recognised in this category and will receive a cash reward of Rs 51,000 along with a citation.
Among the 12 media personnel awarded are the PTI Srinagar Bureau Chief, Inayat Jehangir and PTI video journalist, Jammu Somil Abrol. Other awardees in this category include Avtar Krishan Bhat, Vivek Suri, Sunil Ji Bhat, Dinesh Manhotra, Bilal Ahmad Bhat, Razia Noor, Ishfaq Gowhar Zargar, Syed Khalid Hussain, Sarosh Kafeel, and Neeta Sharma.
Former IAS officer Mohammad Shafi Pandit was awarded the lifetime achievement award posthumously.
Recipients recognised for Meritorious Public Service include Chief Conservator of Forests, Jammu, V S Senthil Kumar; Managing Director of J-K Medical Supplies Corporation, Tariq Ganai; Additional Secretary to the Government in the General Administration Department, Rohit Sharma; Superintending Engineer of the Public Works (R-B) Department, Pooja Wazir; and Dr (Prof) Majid Jahangir, Principal of Government Medical College, Baramulla.
Those awarded for achievements in the field of literature include Yashpaul Nirmal (Dogri litterateur), Choudhary Hassan Parwaz (Gojri), Parwaiz Manoos (Pahari), Fayaz Dilbar (Poet, posthumously), Kewal Krishan Sharma (writer/poet) and Rattan Lal Sharma (writer, translator).
In the category of outstanding sports persons, awards were given to cricketers Aquib Nabi Dar and Brijesh Sharma, Rakesh Singh (judo), Vishal Khajuria (judo), Saleem Kumar (wushu), Ravees Ahmad (athlete), Sudipti Khanna (gymnastics), Mohammad Iqbal (athlete) and Aiyza Naz Chib (skating).
The performing arts category recognised Tanya Dev Gupta (singer), Anil Tickoo (actor), Ayash Arif (actor/irdector), Abdul Hamid Bhat (Rabab artist), Raman Singh Slathia (Dogri folk singer), Sunil Sharma (singer/music director), Ajay Kumar Sharma (theatre), Sudesh K Verma (producer/director), and Neeraj Verma (tabla artist).
The award for excellence in arts and crafts was given to Sajjad Husain Bhat (Sozni artisan), Bhushan Kesar (artist/art educator), Mohammad Shafi Bhat (Kani artisan), Razia Mushtaq (artisan) and Ishfar Ali (senior craft instructor, Paper Pulp).
The awards for social reforms and empowerment went to Arhan Bagati, Founder of KYARI (Kashmir’s Yumberzal Applied Research Institute); Mehjabeen Nabi, President/Founder of the Care Foundation and Charitable Trust in Srinagar; and Saadat Nasir Wani Sogami, Chairman of Team Red NGO, Kashmir.
In the category of Outstanding Industrial Entrepreneurship, the awardees are Mohammad Niyaz-ul-Kabir (GR8 Sports), Sheikh Yameen (Heaventure Adventures Private Limited) and Sunil Singh (Walnut Grower, Kishtwar Gold Walnut Farm).
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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.
