World views India through Bengaluru, says D K Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said that the world today is viewing India through Bengaluru, underlining global confidence in the country's growth and its youth.
Speaking to reporters here on his return from the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, he said, "India is the fastest growing country. People have a lot of confidence in the youth of this country. The world leaders are seeing India through Bengaluru. This city has offices of most of the Fortune 500 companies."
Shivakumar said chief ministers of ten Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Jharkhand and Assam, participated in the summit, along with heads of several state governments.
"Sixty five countries had taken part. There were big businessmen such as Elon Musk and others. There were about 100 public meetings and new policies were discussed," he said.
The Deputy CM said discussions at Davos focused on data centres, global capacity centres, food and beverage, aviation, renewable energy, electric vehicles and electronics, and also on urbanisation in India by 2047, particularly in Bengaluru.
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Referring to his travel experience in Europe, Shivakumar said infrastructure planning and civic discipline were noteworthy.
"I travelled by road to Davos. While going, I went through Zurich and while returning I opted for Milan. I noticed there were 30 to 40 tunnels, built 60 to 70 years ago. There is traffic sense, discipline and respect for law," he said.
The Deputy CM said the Karnataka government deliberately decided not to sign any memoranda of understanding at Davos.
"We decided not to sign any MoUs there because we want foreign investors to come here and see our available resources, strengths, environment, clean energy, pollution level, talent availability, artificial intelligence and data centre requirements," he said.
He said investors had expressed interest in investing in tier-2 and tier-3 cities to generate employment locally.
"They want these cities to be vibrant. Youth should get jobs there and avoid coming to big cities," he said.
Shivakumar stressed the need for long-term urban mobility planning.
"We need to prepare a mobility plan for the next 25 years. Ring roads are compulsory for all towns and cities," he said.
Referring to delayed projects in Bengaluru, he said similar lapses would not be allowed elsewhere.
"The way we ignored the Peripheral Ring Road and the business corridor in Bengaluru should not happen elsewhere. We have started working on it and notifications will be issued soon," he said.
He said urban development would be prioritised and reviewed shortly, adding that Bengaluru MLA N A Harris has been made chairperson for Bengaluru development and that the 'Yes Bengaluru' initiative would be launched in February.
Shivakumar said issues such as overhead cables and under-utilisation of underground utility corridors were raised during discussions at Davos.
"Investors wanted to know how we are going to set it right," he said.
He said discussions were also held on urban innovation, digital platforms and encouraging Kannadigas to do business in the state.
The Deputy CM said the government plans to set up IT City and AI City in Bidadi near Bengaluru, despite opposition.
"Many people are opposing it politically, particularly farmers. But no one can stop development. When farmers get good returns, they will accept it," he said.
He said Karnataka had offered unprecedented compensation for land acquisition for the Peripheral Ring Road.
"No one has given such an offer to land losers anywhere in the country the way we are giving," Shivakumar said.
Several companies have shown interest in green hydrogen, electronics and nanotechnology. "Many companies have shown interest in green hydrogen energy. Forty-five companies spoke to us about electronics and nanotechnology. We have decided on the speed of doing business, and I will discuss this with the Chief Minister," he said.
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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.
