Our Bureau
New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has responded to the hike in H-1B visa fee by the President of the United States Donald Trump, stating that India needs to be more self-reliant. The US has increased the H-1B visa fee, which is extensively used by Indian high-tech workers to $100,000 (approximately ₹88 lakh) annually compared to just under $1,000 now.
PM Modi, addressing a public meeting in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar, has stated that India needs to stop being dependent on other countries. He stated that India has no major enemies in the world but the biggest enemy they have is their dependence on others.
PM Modi said, “Today, India is moving forward with the spirit of ‘Vishwabandhu’. Duniya mein koi hamara bada dushman nahi hai. Agar hamara koi dushman hai toh woh hai dusre deshon par hamari nirbharta (We have no major enemy in the world. Our biggest enemy is our dependence on other countries).”
“This is our biggest enemy, and together we must defeat this enemy of India, the enemy of dependence. We must always reiterate this. India must become Atmanirbhar (self-reliant) and stand strong before the world. India has no shortage of potential, but after independence, Congress ignored all of India’s potential,” PM Modi said.
He also blamed the Congress party for strangling the country with license-quota for decades and taking it away from the world market. He stated that India has still not reached the level of success that it deserves.
“Therefore, even after 6-7 decades of independence, India has not achieved the success it deserved. There were two major reasons for this. For a long time, the Congress government kept the country entangled in the license-quota raj, isolating it from the world market. And then, when the era of globalisation arrived, the only path to import was taken,” the Prime Minister added.
