SIO K’taka submits recommendations on Campus Elections, Urges Govt to reinstate student unions
Bengaluru: The Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) Karnataka has submitted a set of recommendations to the state government urging the reinstatement of student union elections across higher education institutions, citing the need to revive campus democracy and student representation.
The recommendations are based on a statewide survey conducted by SIO Karnataka across colleges and universities in the state to understand students’ views on campus elections. The survey, carried out through Google Forms, gathered responses from students studying in both government and private institutions, with a majority of respondents coming from private unaided colleges.
According to SIO Karnataka, the findings show that while many students recognise the importance of student union elections, their awareness of the legal framework, rules and structure governing such elections remains limited. The organisation said this underlines the need for awareness and sensitisation programmes before elections are conducted.
The survey found strong support among students for campus elections as a means to preserve a democratic atmosphere within educational institutions. Respondents viewed student unions as platforms that help develop leadership skills, promote accountability, and facilitate structured dialogue between students and college administrations. Students also called for clear, state-mandated guidelines to ensure that elections are conducted smoothly and remain free from violence, external interference and political misuse.
A large majority of respondents favoured imposing a cap on election expenditure, expressing concern that excessive spending could lead to conflict and disrupt the academic environment. Students stressed that campus politics should remain non-partisan, ethical and transparent, and should focus on student welfare rather than external political agendas.
SIO Karnataka noted that campus democracy in India has historically produced several prominent political leaders at the national and state levels, including Sitaram Yechury, Lalu Prasad Yadav, Arun Jaitley, Nirmala Sitharaman, M.K. Stalin, Nitish Kumar, Mamata Banerjee, Ashok Gehlot and Prakash Karat. In Karnataka too, leaders such as D.K. Shivakumar, B.K. Hariprasad, K.R. Ramesh Kumar, Roshan Baig, Saleem Ahmed, N.A. Haris, Ramalinga Reddy, Shobha Karandlaje and Rizwan Arshad have emerged from student politics.
Welcoming recent remarks by Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in support of campus elections, Mohammed Hayyan, State Secretary of SIO Karnataka, reiterated the organisation’s long-standing demand for the restoration of student union elections in the state. He said such elections play a crucial role in nurturing political awareness, social responsibility and democratic values among students.
A delegation from SIO Karnataka submitted a memorandum outlining its recommendations to Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Sharanaprakash Patil, and Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar. The delegation also met Congress MLC Rizwan Arshad at his residence.
The delegation included SIO Karnataka State President S. Adi Al Hasan, State Secretary Mohammed Hayyan and State Secretary Abubakar Siddique.
SIO Karnataka urged the government to update the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations to suit present-day realities, introduce campus elections initially in pilot mode, enforce expenditure limits, set age restrictions for candidates, and hold consultations with educationists, civil society groups and student organisations. The organisation said reinstating student union elections would help restore a democratic and inclusive environment across campuses in Karnataka.
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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.
