NEW DELHI 21 SEPTEMBER 2025 SUNDAY `12 PAGES 24  facebook/TheMorningStandard  X.com/TheMornStandard https://epaper.morningstandard.in Seas the Day PLUS: 12 PAGES MAGAZINE Till the Cows Come Home EXCLUSIVE VOICES THINKING INSIDE THE BOT ISRAELI BOMBARDMENT INTENSIFIES Israeli strikes killed 14 people overnight in Gaza, health officials said, as the country ramps up its offensive and urges Palestinians to leave. | P9 75 arrested in raids against organised capital crime N I T I N R AWAT @ New Delhi POLICE in the southeast district carried out searches and nabbed 70 people under operation “Aaghat”, an initiative aimed at preventing organised crime. Similar raids were also conducted at 39 locations in the northeast district, leading to the arrest of five more people, officials said on Saturday . As part of the operation, the police apprehended all criminals in the southeast district. The operation, under the leadership of JCP (Southern Range) Sanjay Jain and DCP (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari, was launched on Friday to curb crime and maintain law and order in the district. “In southeast district, the police have recovered 14 country-made pistols, one sophisticated pistol, 24 cartridges, and 16 knives with the arrest of 28 people. A total of 6,338 quarters of illegal liquor and 13 people arrested,” the DCP said. “Narcotic substances, including 5.985 kg ganja, 51 gm heroin, 54 gm MDMA, and one motorcycle, were recovered, and nine people were arrested. Similarly, 13 gamblers were held with the recovery of `78,350, five property offenders arrested with three cellphones, and two motorcycles; and two leftover criminals were arrested in NDPS cases,” Tiwari said. In the northeast district, a large-scale search operation was conducted on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. The raids were conducted at 39 locations by 350 personnel, in which five people were arrested. Police have recovered three semiautomatic pistols, two country-made police, and 20 live cartridges, along with one laptop, seven mobile phones and unaccounted cash of `18.70 lakh, DCP (northeast) Ashish Mishra said. Anand Neelakantan Prabhu Chawla Ravi Shankar Shankkar Aiyar Neha Sinha Namrata Joshi Shampa Dhar-Kamath An Archive of Home Love in the Time of Dislocation I don’t want you! Historically, the US was letting in the bottom quartile, earning $66,000 a year, often needing government assistance. It was illogical. This programme will now only admit people at the very top. If someone is that valuable, companies can pay $100,000 a year. If not, they can hire an American 2.8L Indian jobs on the line as Trump slaps $1L H-1B fee S A N A L S U D E V A N & D I PA K M O N D A L @ Chennai/New Delhi THE Trump administration on Saturday imposed a fee of $1,00,000 per year on each H-1B visa holder, dealing a body blow to the 2,83,397 (71%) skilled technology workers from India, as per 2024 data. At 71%, India was the largest beneficiary of H-1B last year, while China was a distant second at 12%. “We need great workers, and this pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen,” Trump said at the Oval Office as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stood by The new rule . would raise the cost of sponsoring an Indian H-1B worker from the current $215 to a staggering $100,000 per year or up to $600,000 over a six-year visa period. The Trump administration says the fee is designed to ensure that only “extraordinary” workers are let in. TCS accounted for over 5,505 H-1B visas granted for fiscal year 2025 (October 2024-September 2025), followed by Cognizant (3,700), Infosys (2,004), LTIMindtree (1,807), and HCL Tech (1,728). In 2025, TCS was the second-largest recipient of H-1B visas after Amazon, which received approvals for 10,000. Pew Research notes that since 2010, a majority of H-1B approvals each year went to workers born in India. It added since fiscal 2012, about 60% or more of H-1B workers approved each year held computer-related jobs. In 2023, the share was 65%, with these workers reporting a median annual salary of $1,23,600. Nasscom, the apex body of India’s technology industry, said the steep increase in H-1B visa fees will have a rip- ple effect on America’s innovation ecosystem and the job market. “It will also impact Indian nationals working in the US on H-1B visas for both global and Indian companies. India’s technology services companies will face business continuity challenges for onshore projects,” it said. Nasscom also flagged the timeline for implementation as a major concern, since the new rules apply to anyone entering the US after 12.01 am on September 21. “A one-day deadline creates considerable uncertainty for businesses, professionals, and students across the world. Policy changes of this scale are best introduced with adequate transition periods,” it added. IT services exports to the US generate around $100 billion in revenue for India, and Trump’s latest move could disrupt this (see box). Although Indian IT firms have increased local hiring in the US, the revised visa fee is expected to have a short-term impact. Some companies may even consider recalling employees to India. Another concern is wage pressure in India’s IT industry if employees return. Yogeesha Channabasappa, an IT consultant, said, “With more people competing for India-based roles, wage growth may flatten in the short run.” Although the announcement came after Indian markets had closed, it jolted Infosys’ American Depository Receipts (ADRs), which fell 3.41% to $16.97 on the New York Stock Exchange. Wipro’s ADRs declined 2.10%. Analysts expect the ripple effect to spill over when Indian markets open on Monday . MORE REPORTS ON P 7 & 10 —Howard Lutnick, US Commerce Secy TOP H1B BENEFICIARIES IT firms 2025 5,005 Cognizant 3,660 Infosys 2,004 LTIMindtree 1,807 HCL 1,728 Wipro 1,523 TCS U.S. REVENUE FOR MAJOR INDIAN IT COS % US revenue TCS Infosys HCL Tech Wipro Tech Mahindra 48% 58% 66% 63% 51% SWAMI SUKHABODHANANDA SPEAKS Footnotes for Freedom Stunned techies scramble to US, scrap fly-out plan S L A L I T H A @ New Delhi THE abrupt announcement by the US to levy an annual fee of `88.13 lakh on H1-B visa holders from September 21, with a mere 36-hour window, stunned Indian techies living in the US as well as those planning to visit the country . Plans to travel outside America or in the return direction have been abruptly cancelled or advanced by hundreds of them and their families. While many cancelled plans to travel at the last minute while waiting to board flights to India, several others already in India are scrambling to return amid lack of clarity as the US fiat comes weeks before Indian professionals and their families travel to India for Diwali and other holidays. Atal Agarwal, founder of OpenSphere, an AI company that offers Global Mobility Services for Immigrants, told this paper from Canada that he was inundated with messages for help from Indians in the US. “Never in modern history has a policy affecting 500K+ highly skilled workers been implemented with a 48-hr notice... Airports are flooded. Flight prices are skyrocketing.” Airfares from New Delhi to the US were in excess of $4,500 on a private airline’s portal. Communication sent to staff by Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft urged employees to stay put in the US while asking those outside to return before the deadline. Individuals on H-1B visas told a news agency anonymously that the underlying emotion among H-1B visa holders and families right now is “a crazy sense of panic and worry”. HAS HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES: MEA INDIA VS PAKISTAN Sports no longer tool of diplomacy S W A R O O P S W A M I N AT H A N @ Chennai OVER the last few months, there has been a growing clamour for the Indian cricket team to refuse to play Pakistan and it grew before their first match in Asia Cup group stage. India comfortably won the game — there is honestly a noticeable difference in the skill levels of both teams — but what caught the eye was what happened on the sidelines. India’s refusal to shake hands or exchange pleasantries, a kind of common sporting brotherhood. After the match, Suryakumar Yadav expressed his solidarity with the families affected by the attack in Pahalgam in April. Following Sunday that attack the sporting relations between Special India and Pakistan nosedived. An Indian cricket team twice boycotted Pakistan in a meet in England. The Pakistan hockey team — usually habitual travellers to India — skipped the Asia Cup earlier this month; relationships are not the same anymore. Even in a heightened state of tension, sport has been used as a diplomatic tool to try and put peace at the forefront. From 1987, when Pakistan president, Zia-ul-Haq, travelled to India to watch a Test featuring the two countries to 1996, when the two teams joined forces to play a game in Sri Lanka to show it was safe. On Sunday, India and Pakistan will meet again at the Asia Cup. If there’s another round of snubbing extended hands, MORE ON P11 it may well be a new normal. DADASAHEB PHALKE AWARD J AYA N T H J A C O B @ New Delhi INDIA on Saturday said it is closely studying the full implication of the US decision to impose a $100,000 annual fee on H-1B visas, warning that the move could cause “humanitarian consequences” and disrupt families. In a measured response, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “The full implications of the measure are being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry which has , already put out an initial analysis clarifying some P7 perceptions related to the H1B program.” Huge rate cuts on stadium booking Deadlock breaks, Centre to boost concerts, live events in city invites Ladakh leaders for talks in capital on Oct 6 I F R A H M U F T I @ New Delhi AFTER losing out major concerts and cultural shows to cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Gurugram for years, largely due to steep stadium-booking charges, the Delhi government on Saturday announced a substantial cut in venue rates, a move officials and industry leaders hailed as “historic.” Culture and Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra announced a 40–50% reduction in booking rates for major stadiums across the city a decision taken jointly , by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Delhi government. The reduction, Mishra said, could transform Delhi into the country’s most event-friendly city and a global hub for live entertainment. The Delhi government plans to cut the booking cost of the main JLN main arena from `50 lakh per day to `20 lakh. For the FAYA Z WA N I @ Srinagar 40-50% rate reduction to make Delhi vibrant Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra announced a 40-50% reduction in booking rates for major stadiums, a decision taken jointly by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Delhi government. Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, the government has proposed to cut the booking cost from `20 lakh per day to `5 lakh. According to the sources, the government expects to generate annual revenue of `30 crore through this approval. “The prime minister’s vision is to make Delhi a hub for live events and the concert economy High . stadium rates were a major obstacle that pushed big shows to other cities. That changes today,” Mishra said, adding that the initiative followed extensive consultations with Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and industry leaders. The revised rates are expected to open up these two stadiums for major cultural shows, music festivals, and international acts. Officials said that the move will boost tourism, generate jobs. God: The Ultimate Mystery ‘You can Always Keep Trying’ THE deadlock in talks between Ladakh leaders and the Centre has finally broken and the next round of talks would be held in New Delhi on October 6. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the meeting of the High-Powered Committee formed comprises the Union MoS Home, MHA officials and leaders of Kargil Democratic Alliance and Leh Apex Body the , amalgam of religious, social, political, trade and student groups of Kargil and Leh. The last meeting between Ladakh leaders and the Central government was held on May 27 in Delhi in which domicile law with a cap of 15 years from August 5, 2019 was agreed upon. The Centre also agreed on job reservation with President Droupadi Murmu promulgating the Union Territory of Ladakh Reservation (Amendment) Regulation, 2025 and reserved 85% jobs in UT. The President also promulgated Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Amendment) Regulation, 2025 to reserve 1/3rd seats in Hill Councils of Leh and Kargil Hill Councils for women. “Finally, the MHA has decided to resume talks with the Ladakhis leadership. We hope these talks will lead to restoration of democratic rights,” said KDA leader Sajjad Kargili. Leh Apex Body co-chairman Chering Dorjey said that their two main demands in the meeting would be to grant statehood and 6th Schedule status to Ladakh UT. FOR MOHANLAL ON RICH BODY OF WORK FOR YRS The Malayalam superstar behind landmark films such as ‘Vanaprastham’, ‘Iruvar’, ‘Drishyam’, will be honoured with the country’s highest recognition in cinema. EXPRESS READ CYBER ATTACKS Europe flights may get delayed: IGIA The Delhi airport on Saturday said flights to Europe may experience disruptions due to cyber attacks. “Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest updates,” it said. Cyber attacks on Collins Airspace, a provider of check-in systems, has caused disruptions at Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin. MAHARASHTRA Uproar after three journalists beaten Three journalists of different channels were attacked on Saturday, allegedly by a group of men following an argument over paying the vehicle’s entry fee in the temple town of Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra. The attack prompted the Opposition to allege “collapse” of the law and order.