India to seek access for skilled workers amid H-1B chaos

WASHINGTON: With far-right Prime Minister Narendra Modi unable to create job opportunities at home despite the repeated slogans of “Make in India” and “Shinning India”, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday that New Delhi will ask Washington to ease access for thousands of Indian skilled workers as the Trump administration opted to hike the H-1B fee — a move that is part of a wider crackdown on immigration.

The news report comes as Indian officials will meet US trade negotiators to hold talks amid the 50 per cent tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed on India over a range of issues including market access and procurement of Russian oil.

Unemployment rate in India is skyrocketing as the Hindu nationalist BJP government under Modi has been accused of colluding with big businesses to protect their interests, resulting in a widening divide between the rich and the poor.

That’s why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said, “Modi has destroyed the future of India’s youth because there are no jobs.”

Read more: Trump says India is a ‘dead economy’, Rahul agrees

In this connection, he cited five reasons, the being the “Adani-Modi partnership”, a reference to the close bond between the BJP and the big business.

It was followed by demonetisation and a flawed GST, and failed “Assemble in India”, as he mocked the slogan of “Make in India”.

As a natural effect of “Adani-Modi”, Rahul said that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs” had been wiped out, while the Indian farmers were also crushed thanks to the “free market” policies.

Earlier, Modi, in a public address over the weekend, urged citizens to use local products and avoid foreign-made ones.

RUBIO SEES PROGRESS

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States and India made progress, amid the ongoing trade talks.

“We had meetings with them again yesterday, and it has to do with their purchase of Russian oil,” Rubio said in a interview on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” programme on Tuesday, citing “a lot of progress”.

India’s trade minister had been scheduled to visit Washington this week in an effort to accelerate talks after negotiations resumed last week.

Trump last month imposed a 25 per cent punitive levy on Indian imports from August 27, doubling overall tariffs to 50 per cent, as his administration pressures New Delhi to cut its Russian oil purchases.

Rubio did not say whether the two sides discussed the Trump administration’s H-1B visa $100,000 fee or Washington’s demands that India open its agriculture and dairy sector for U.S. companies.