Trump Admin Suspends PERM Access for IT Giants, Green Card Pathway Hit

The Central government has informed the Supreme Court that it is considering appointing a committee to take a fresh look at the controversial UGC Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions Regulations. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a Chief Justice of India-led bench that the government is examining the issue to ensure every student is protected and no section feels dissatisfied. The Supreme Court granted additional time to formulate guidelines addressing caste-based discrimination and ragging in higher educational institutions. The UGC equity rules had triggered protests from general category students, while petitions filed by the mothers of Payal Tadvi and Rohith Vemula sought strong protections for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students. For now, the regulations remain stayed.

A major political row has erupted in Karnataka following price hikes on Nandini dairy products, including butter, ghee, and paneer, alongside sharp increases in state bus fares. The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party staged symbolic protests across Bengaluru, including at the central bus stand, accusing the Congress-led government of fiscal mismanagement and running an empty treasury. Amid the economic pressure, the Karnataka government approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking financial assistance for 177 drought-affected taluks and demanding minimum support price revisions for sugarcane farmers. Concurrently, the state government faced criticism over delayed payments under the Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme after acknowledging treasury fund constraints before the Karnataka High Court. Adding to political activities in the state capital, members of the INDIA bloc staged demonstrations at Freedom Park demanding the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner and calling for the scrapping of the Special Summary Revision process.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the Congress over the development of urban transport, comparing the pace of metro expansion under the previous regime with current infrastructure achievements. Highlighting the transformation, he stated that in 2014, India had only 248 kilometres of operational metro lines across five cities, whereas the network has expanded to 1,200 kilometres across 26 cities, catering to over one crore daily commuters. Raising questions over earlier development speeds, he noted that cities like Pune would have faced decades of waiting for metro connectivity if expansion had continued at the pre-2014 pace. Modi remarked that the impact of the rapid transit growth extends beyond statistics, providing citizens with reduced commuting time, enhanced family life, and improved productivity. The remarks follow the launch of a new metro line in Pune, alongside broader upgrades across Indian rail and road connectivity over the past 12 years.

A controversy has erupted during the Aligarh Muslim University student elections, being organized after an eight-year hiatus following extensive student protests demanding polls similar to Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University. During an election address, presidential candidate and third-year PhD history scholar Noman Ashraf sparked intense debate by raising international and national political issues rather than campus-specific matters like seat shortages, facilities, and academic concerns. The candidate referenced jailed figures Sharjeel Imam and Umar Khalid, questioning labels attached to them before judicial verdicts and court trials conclude. Furthermore, the speech expressed solidarity with the people of Palestine, Gaza, Iran, and Sudan, while also demanding the release of former student and politician Azam Khan. Network reporters noted that the speeches within the university campus have heavily politicized the student elections, evoking strong reactions across student factions and political observers.