New Delhi, Jan 31 : A day before high-powered selection committee is to meet to decide the new CBI chief, the government has appointed four officers in the central agency, officials said Thursday.

In inducting these officers, the government is understood to have also considered the views of CBI interim chief M Nageswara Rao, they said.

Akhilesh Kumar Singh, 2003-batch IPS from Assam Meghalaya cadre and A T Durai Kumar, 2004-batch IPS from Tamil Nadu cadre have been appointed as DIG in the CBI, a government order said.

Putta Vimaladitya, a 2008 batch IPS from Kerala cadres and Akhilesh Kumar Chaurasia, 2009 batch IPS from Uttar Pradesh cadre have been appointed as superintendent of police in the agency, they said.

After getting duties and responsibilities of the director, the CBI till new chief is appointed, Rao has done mass transfers from the levels of joint directors to additional SPs, which have been criticised by some officers within the organisation as full-fledged director is yet to be appointed, the officials said.

Rao was given the duties and responsibilities of the CBI director after a high-level committee transferred the then chief Alok Verma as DG Fire Services on January 10 as a hunt for the new CBI director started.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Washington (PTI): India and China bore the maximum brunt of tougher immigration policy unveiled by the Trump administration which issued 2.5 lakh fewer visas in the first eight months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to a media report.

From January to August 2025, the State Department approved 11 per cent fewer permanent resident and temporary visas compared with the same period a year before, according to State Department data released in early March.

These visas are generally issued for students, workers, and family members of citizens and legal residents.

The 11 per cent drop doesn't include tourist visas, which also fell during the same period, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

ALSO READ:  Why 'Vishwaguru' not advancing BRICS summit for diplomatic initiative on West Asia crisis: Cong

According to the report, visas for Chinese and Indian nationals fell by about 84,000 compared with the same period in 2024, largely reflecting a drop-off in international students and workers from those countries.

Business and tourism visas declined by about 3.4 per cent in the first eight months of 2025 compared with that period a year earlier, a drop of nearly two lakh visas.

Between January and August 2024, the US had issued more than 3.44 lakh student visas, the number declined to a little over 2.38 lakh during the same period in 2025.

The family preference visa, which includes adult children and siblings of US citizens fell by more than 27 per cent or by over 44,000.

The visas issued to sea and airline workers also reduced by 30,876, while those issued for culture exchange visitors declined by 29,594.

The visas issued to fiance/spouse declined from 37,229 in the first eight months of 2024 to 18,894 for the period under review in 2025.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that “President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate to put American citizens first and every policy decision he’s made has reflected that priority.”

In a statement to The Washington Post, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said: “A visa is a privilege, not a right. Unlike the Biden administration, President Trump is not willing to compromise the safety of American citizens to allow mass migration of unvetted foreign nationals into our country.”