Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
Telangana Information Technology (IT) and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government should have explored diplomatic channels in light of the H1-B visa crisis which has particularly affected the Telugu community. While expressing that the Union government could have preemptively averted the crisis, the Minister said that he interacted with representatives of companies like Microsoft, Google, and Infosys to assess the situation.
“I am sure the Union government tried. But until we were hit with 50% tariffs, they did not take it seriously,” he told TNM. The Minister’s statement comes after President Donald Trump's decision to tighten H-1B visa regulations and impose a $100,000 annual fee on companies for each of the foreign workers they hire starting from September 21st midnight.
Calling the H-1B visa program a “national security threat” Trump had alleged “systemic abuse” of the visa system particularly by IT outsourcing firms. “Further, the abuse of the H-1B visa program has made it even more challenging for college graduates trying to find IT jobs, allowing employers to hire foreign workers at a significant discount to American workers,” his proclamation had read.
Right after the White House announced the new H1B policy Sridhar Babu held a press conference questioning the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Union’s silence. “Why wasn’t preventive diplomacy pursued? We are the country which has the number one H1B visa seekers. I would say that the Union government has failed in putting pressure on, or negotiating with the White House. It is a clear case of ineffective diplomacy,” he had said.
The Minister also told TNM that he had met with all the industry captains from companies like Microsoft, Google, Infosys in Hyderabad to just gauge the situation. “In the short term, it is a wait and watch policy as we don’t know enough about the new H1B implementation. In the long run we hope to take this as a challenge and make our own system more vibrant. If we can get Telugu workforce to reverse the brain drain, we can sharpen our own IT sector and other cutting edge technologies,” he added.
In his press conference, Sridhar Babu also pointed out that the Telugu workforce contributes heavily to the IT and other allied sectors. “This decision is one which is anti-intellectual. It is also true that like Telangana, South India by and large is affected. Did the Union government not consider the damage this could do to Telangana and other Southern states?” he asked.
The Minister also added that several residents of Telangana rely on remittances sent by their relatives living and working in the US. “Currently, there is a chance that the remittances might reduce. We need to focus on that as well,” he added.
Sridhar Babu also told TNM that the Telangana government’s investment in Global Capability Centers (GCCs) could cause intelligent workforce to circle back to cities like Hyderabad.
