Hyderabad: State IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu has criticised the Union government for maintaining “stoic silence” on the United States’ decision to hike H-1B visa fees steeply. The state government will write a letter to the Union government demanding urgent action, the Minister said, while pointing out that the US move to enhance the fee would have a serious impact on India’s economy, particularly on Telangana state.

Addressing the media here, Sridhar Babu said that 72 to 73 per cent of H-1B visa holders are Indians, and the fee hike—reportedly up to 100,000 US dollars annually—would affect Indian professionals disproportionately. “In FY 2024–25, India received $135.46 billion in remittances, of which 27.7 per cent came from the US. 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. Sridhar Babu pointed out that the US had earlier imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods. Now it has gone ahead with 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.

Calling for immediate diplomatic engagement, the Minister urged the Centre to secure temporary exemptions for existing H-1B visa holders, secure interests of Indian IT professionals, and protect families dependent on overseas remittances.

On the state’s concerns, he said: “Telangana accounts for 8.1 per cent 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.”

Sridhar Babu also criticised what he described as 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 said.