K'taka Guv submits report to President on legislature joint session drama
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has submitted a detailed report to President Droupadi Murmu over the developments in connection with the joint session of the state legislature recently that saw a row erupt over his customary address to the Legislative Assembly and Council, official sources said on Saturday.
According to sources, the governor's report covers the developments on January 22, the day of the joint session, and the previous day -- when a government delegation led by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil met him, following Gehlot's refusal to deliver the customary address.
Gehlot consulted legal experts ahead of sending the report, they added.
High drama played out in Karnataka Assembly on Thursday when the governor refused to read out the state-prepared address to a joint session of the state legislature and confined his speech to just three lines, evoking sharp reaction from the Congress government in the state.
Gehlot took exception to certain references to the Centre "repealing" the UPA-era MGNREGA in the state-prepared speech.
A total of 10 paragraphs, which had critical reference to the Centre and its policies, touching upon the MGNREGA and issues including devolution of funds were said to have irked the governor, who wanted them to be deleted. But, this was not acceptable to the government.
According to the sources, the governor in his report has told the President that he had suggested the state government to "modify" the draft speech by removing paras which criticised the central government for enacting the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, and also about its impact.
Gehlot has also detailed in the report, the action taken by him to address the joint session as per the Constitutional mandate.
The behavior of the ruling Congress party members, who shouted slogans and tried to gherao him during his exit from the Assembly hall, and reactions of leaders of both ruling Congress and opposition BJP in the aftermath, have also been detailed in the report, official sources added.
As the Governor ended his address with three lines on January 22, the treasury benches, including ministers such as H K Patil, stood up and requested Gehlot to complete the speech.
As Gehlot proceeded towards the exit door, some ruling legislators, including MLC B K Hariprasad, tried to gherao him by shouting slogans. They were removed by the security staff.
The Congress government had accused Gehlot of "violating the Constitution" by refusing to read the state-prepared address to the joint session of the legislature and confining his customary speech to just three lines.
It also accused him of "disrespecting the national anthem" by walking out of the House before it was played and demanded that he apologise to the people of the state and the Assembly.
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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.
