BHUBANESWAR l sunday l september 21, 2025 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l JEYPORE EDITION actor Mohanlal to be conferred Dadasaheb Phalke Award The Malayalam actor will be honoured with the country’s highest recognition in cinema for his ‘iconic contributions’ to the field His work has set a gold standard: Ministry The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting praised Mohanlal for setting a golden standard in Indian film history through his “unmatched talent, versatility, and relentless hard work”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the actor’s cinematic and theatrical brilliance across mediums is truly inspiring and called him “the leading light of Malayalam cinema” ■ Sep 23 350 films in career spanning four decades ■ In a rich career spanning four decades, he has acted in more than 350 films across Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada Known for his natural acting style and versatility, Mohanlal has won two National Film Awards for best actor and nine Kerala State Film Awards. He was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2019 When mohanlal will be presented the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2023 CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI 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 ana l S u d e v an / D i pak M o n d a l @ Chennai/New Delhi express read bhubaneswar BJD leader held for `12 cr land fraud The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Crime Branch has arrested BJD leader Dillip Kumar Nayak for allegedly cheating a businessman of `12.42 crore on the promise of providing him plots and jointly setting up a real estate firm. Nayak had unsuccessfully contested the Nimapara Assembly constituency as BJD candidate in 2024 elections. The agency had registered a case against Nayak on the basis of a police complaint by the businessman Bijay Rout. Rout had filed the complaint at Badambadi police station in Cuttack and the case was handed over to the EOW for investigation | P7 New Delhi 1st bullet train will be rolled out in ’27 India’s first bullet train is set to begin operations on the initial 50-km stretch of the MumbaiAhmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor by 2027, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced on Saturday. He was speaking at a tunnel breakthrough site in Mumbai. The initial operational section will run between Surat and Billimora. It is expected to extend to Thane by 2028 and Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) by 2029 | P9 New Delhi Get fugitives fast, Shah asks agencies Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asked the investigative and intelligence agencies to ensure time-bound extradition of Indian fugitives from abroad and instructed them to jointly put in place a standard operating procedure (SoP) for preparing dossiers on those involved in terror activities, narcotics and arms smuggling. So far, the CBI has succeeded in facilitating the return of 137 fugitives from different countries in the last five years | P9 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 that 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 in- crease in H-1B visa fees will have a ripple 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 . —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% 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”. INDIA vs pakistan Sports no longer tool of diplomacy s w ar o o p s w am i nat h an @ 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 P13 it may well be a new normal.  Has humanitarian consequences: MEA Chips or ships, they should be made in India: PM jayant h ja 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 P9 perceptions related to the H1B program.”  W I T H T H I S I SS U E Thinking Inside the Bot PLUS 12 PAGES PM Narendra Modi on Saturday declared that large ships will now be officially recognised as infrastructure, a landmark policy shift aimed at revolutionising India’s maritime sector and positioning the nation as a global shipping hub | P10 Man found dead on roadside, kidnap extra-marital affair naked by Woman paraded and murder over job fraud alleged husband in Sundargarh E x press N e w s S er v i c e @ Bhubaneswar A 32-year-old man was found dead under mysterious circumstances at Chandaka-Baranga Road near Daruthenga on the city outskirts on Saturday The . deceased identified as Bidyadhar Sahoo (32) of Aranga village in Khurda had reportedly gone missing since September 15. Passers-by spotted Sahoo’s body on the roadside and informed the police who rushed to the spot and sent his body to a hospital for postmortem. The identity was ascertained from the documents recovered from his body . His family members claimed he was murdered after abduction. They had reportedly received a threat call from some persons on September 15 who said they had abducted him and demanded over `2 crore ransom for his release. His wife Mamina Khatua lodged a complaint in Badagada police station on Friday . Police’s initial investigation revealed Sahoo worked as a driver for an online cab services firm. He also worked as a driver of a woman residing under Badagada police station. The woman runs a job consultancy firm in the city. Sahoo also assisted in her office work. As the probe progressed, police examined his call detail records and the CCTV footage. They found that a group of at least four to five persons apprehended Sahoo and took him to Jajpur in his cab. They then confined him in a house there and made a threat call to his family demanding `2 crore. Basing on the technical evidence, police detained one accused on Saturday He claimed . that Sahoo and the woman running the consultancy fir m along with their other associates had cheated many youths hailing from various districts in Odisha on the promise of providing them jobs. Sahoo had allegedly taken more than `2 crore from several youths but could not provide them jobs. The accused admitted that he and four others had abducted Sahoo as he was not returning their money Police sources He even said Sahoo had taken more than `2 crore from several youths but could not provide them the jobs. The accused admitted that he and four others had abducted Sahoo as he was not returning their money said , police sources. During interrogation, the accused alleged that as Sahoo had no money he died by suicide by , hanging in the house where they held him captive. He also said fearing arrest, they disposed of Sahoo’s body and abandoned his vehicle at an isolated stretch near Chandaka, said a police officer. Bhubaneswar DCP Jagmohan Meena said a case of murder has been registered and one suspect detained. “Efforts are on to nab the other persons who kidnapped Sahoo. Investigation is continuing from all angles and more details will emerge after receiving his postmortem report,” he added. P R A S A N J E E T S A R K A R @ Rourkela A 26-year-old woman was paraded naked by her husband for having an illicit relationship with a youth, in a village under under Bargaon police limits of Sundargarh district. The incident took place on Tuesday at Birimunda village of Timna gram panchayat, about 90 km from Rourkela. However, it came to light on Saturday after video clips went viral, prompting Bargaon police into action. Four persons, including the husband were arrested and produced before the court on the day The vic. tim, with her 18-month-old child, was sent to a shelter home at Sundargarh town. Police sources informed that the woman was staying in the village with her child while the husband worked at Bengaluru. She allegedly devel- oped a relationship with an unmarried youth, in his mid20s, of nearby Bhalumunda village. On Sunday night, some villagers spotted the woman with the youth at her house and the next morning, a kangaroo court was convened. Both reportedly admitted to the affair before the villagers after which the youth was reprimanded and imposed a fine while the woman was cautioned for ‘vitiating’ the village environment with her ‘wrongful conduct.’ Trouble mounted when her husband who was informed of the matter rushed back home from Bengaluru. On Tuesday morning, he confronted his wife and started assaulting and humiliating her in public. Not stopping at that, he disrobed the woman and forced her to walk naked on the village Continued on P7 road.