Telangana Minister Sridhar Babu slams Centre on H-1B fee silence

Hyderabad: Telangana IT and Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu has criticized the Central government for its response to recent U.S. measures increasing H-1B visa fees, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has remained silent despite the setbacks to India’s economic interests. He described attempts to justify the measures as ‘most unfortunate.’

In the meantime, Sridhar Babu called for immediate diplomatic engagement, urging the Centre to secure temporary exemptions for existing H-1B visa holders, create provisions for Indian IT professionals, and protect families dependent on overseas remittances.

Sridhar Babu Criticizes Modi Government Over U.S. Visa Policy

Further, Sridhar Babu pointed out that the U.S. had earlier imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods and has now moved ahead with an H-1B fee hike. “Despite these setbacks to India’s economic interests, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to remain silent. Worse, there seems to be an attempt to justify these measures as beneficial, which is most unfortunate,” he remarked.

Speaking to reporters at the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat, the Minister said that 72–73% of H-1B visa holders are Indians, and the fee hike, reportedly up to $100,000 annually (approximately Rs 88,13,000), would disproportionately affect Indian professionals. “In FY 2024–25, India received $135.46 billion (approximately Rs 11,27,68,31,00,00,000) in remittances, of which 27.7% came from the U.S. With this fee increase, remittance inflows will be reduced, directly impacting our foreign exchange reserves. Yet, the Centre has neither intervened nor sought exemptions for those already holding H-1B visas,” he said.

Telangana among worst-hit states, warns of remittance hit

Most crucially, highlighting the state-specific impact, Sridhar Babu noted that Telangana accounts for 8.1% of India’s total remittances, ranking fourth in the country. “This means our state will be among the worst affected by this policy shift. The state government will be writing to the Centre, demanding urgent action on behalf of our people,” he said.

On top of that, Sridhar Babu also criticized what he termed the Centre’s disregard for federal principles. “The Constitution defines India as a union of states. Unfortunately, the present Union Government treats only BJP-ruled states as partners in governance, while states like Telangana are consistently ignored,” he added.