kottayam l tuesday l august 11, 2026 l `10.00 l PAGES 12 l city EDITION new u.s. visa rules: firms to pay a bomb for extending l-1s, h-1bs Large employers now have to pay a fee of $4,000 for H-1B and $4,500 for L-1 applications for extension of visas of their employees takes effect from september 9 rocky road ahead for indian it firms Earlier, these fees were applicable only for initial H-1B and L-1 petitions or if the applicants changed jobs. The 9-11 Response and Biometric Entry-Exit Fee, applicable to employers with 50 or more employees in the US if more than 50 per cent are in H-1B or L-1 nonimmigrant status, takes effect from September 9, as per the Department of Homeland Security ■ ■ Organisations filing routine extension requests for same employee will now face additional filing costs. Amended petitions not needing an extension of status are exempt from the expanded fee For an IT services firm managing several thousand onshore Indian engineers on H-1B or L-1 status, the new rule hands a huge expense $157.3 mn is the annual revenue that the fee hike will generate for the u.s. 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 U-turn: IUML to push for exit from PM SHRI bus would not be altered. It had also reached an understanding with the Congress on proceeding Backtracking on its initial with the programme. support to the state government’s Senior IUML leaders said the decision to continue in the PM party’s leadership held a series of SHRI scheme, the Indian Union discussions over the past few days Muslim League (IUML) is now before arriving at the revised poplanning to press for Kerala’s sition. The leadership now bewithdrawal from the Centre’s lieves there is no political or fiflagship education programme nancial justification to continue The climbdown comes with the scheme once the amid growing pressure existing agreement exwithin the UDF and the pires next March. party’s concerns that the “Both Congress and scheme could be used by Our minds say we IUML were of the view the BJP-led NDA govern- should withdraw that the gover nment ment to advance the Na- from the scheme. could not withdraw from The UDF will tional Education Policy the deal once it was consider public (NEP) in Kerala. signed. However, the Cenopinion before Giving a clear indicatre has now clarified that taking a decision tion on the IUML’s latest there is no issue in withon PM SHRI. We stand, state president expect a positive drawing from it. Hence Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab the rethink,” an IUML decision Thangal on Monday said leader told TNIE. Sayyid Sadiq Ali the party’s preference He added: “Our biggest Shihab Thangal, was to withdraw from concern was the funds PM SHRI and that the IUML state president the state gover nment UDF should take the fiwould lose if we did not nal call after considering public join PM SHRI. That was why we opinion. “Our minds say we decided to continue with it as should withdraw from the scheme. long as there was no interference The UDF will consider public in the syllabus. However, during opinion before taking a decision recent leadership-level discuson PM SHRI. We expect a positive sions, a bigger concern emerged. decision,” Thangal told reporters PM SHRI could become a tool for in Malappuram. the NDA government to impleThe IUML had earlier agreed to ment the National Education Polcontinue with PM SHRI on the icy in the states. This cannot be ● More on P4 condition that the existing sylla- allowed.” E x p r ess N e w s S e r v i c e @Malappuram Batons, tear gas mark march of Ranchi students Police use water cannons on agitators, CM Soren appeals for dialogue to resolve issue M u kes h r a nj a n @ Ranchi AT LEAST four students and one policemen were injured during a clash near the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday, when police used water cannons, tear gas and batons to stop students protesting against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations, officials said. The clash took place after the protesters breached multiple barricades near the Vidhan Sabha. This is for the first time in the history of Jharkhand that protesting students reached so close to the state assembly . Though the administration had erected multiple barricades and deployed a large police contingent to stop the protesters from reaching the Assembly, the students waded through the barriers. They dismantled seven to eight barricades near Jagannath Temple before resuming their march. Ranchi Rural SP, Gaurav Goswami, said they had to use batons after some protesters at- tempted to reach the final barricading, where prohibitory orders under Section 163 were already in force. The students are adamant on their demands of cancellation of the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) (Preliminary) Group 1 examination and a CBI inquiry into the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Gradua t e L e v e l ( J S S C CG L ) examination. Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who has been on a hunger strike for nine days, reached the protest site in an ambulance and participated in the march on a stretcher. “The reverse of the word ‘yuva’ (youth) is ‘vayu’ (air), and no one can stop the air,” Mahto said. “The government is trying to suppress our voice by using water cannons and tear gas shells. This is reprehensible.” Mahto said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the use of force against students protesting in Jharkhand and called on the state government, of which POlice intensify action KAAPA, cancellation of bail brewing for Ayanki Abhirami Anil & Jithul Narayanan @Kochi/Kannur Arjun Ayanki P Jayarajan slams AI pic CPM state committee member P Jayarajan has warned of legal action against social media posts circulating an AI-generated picture showing him alongside Ayanki. Taking to Facebook, Jayarajan said some were using an AI photo in which the finger he lost in an RSS attack 25 years ago has been reattached. The police have begun the process to invoke the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA) against Arjun Ayanki, a habitual offender who was arrested on Sunday after two days of intense search. Booked in multiple criminal cases, Ayanki is currently lodged in Thalassery sub jail. “He is in judicial remand, and there are several cases pending against him in which he may be arrested. Therefore, the possibility of his immediate release is relatively low,” said ADGP (Law & Order) P Vijayan. “Since he is already in jail, obtaining a KAAPA detention order at this stage may be difficult. So, the police are essentially preparing in advance, compiling his previous cases and other relevant records so that the necessary action can be taken,” he said. Meanwhile, the Ernakulam Rural Police will move the court for cancelling the bail granted to Ayanki in one of the cases registered against him, Ernakulam Rural SP K S Sudarshan said on Monday . “Ayanki has three cases registered against him in Ernakulam district, and he secured bail in one of them. Police will seek cancellation of the bail,” the SP said, adding that a police team has gone to Kannur to take Ay● More on P4 anki into custody  . Savarkar row BJP, IUML workers protest at Kumbla school event BJP cadre stage stir against teacher’s suspension, during a function attended by Minister N Samsudheen. Soon after, IUML workers hold counter protest | P4 Student leader Devendra Nath Mahto (above) during the march towards the Jharkhand assembly; and police personnel deploy water cannons (top) to disperse student protesters | PTI ED launches money laundering probe The Enforcement Directorate has initiated a money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in JSSC CGL and other exams in Jharkhand. The ED is probing eight individuals, including TDPL, JPSC officials and an alleged key figure in the recruitment scam Congress is a part, to hear the protesters out and resolve their issues immediately . Meanwhile, the state CID on Monday arrested former JPSC Chairman L Khiangte in connection with alleged irregularities in 14th Combined Civil Services Examination. Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a late night post on X said, “I assure you (protesters) that action will be taken on your demands with utmost seriousness and sensitivity... let us resolve this issue together through dialogue.” E X PR E SS R E A D CM, ministers call on kin of missing fishermen T’Puram/Kollam: Under mounting pressure from protesting families of missing fishermen, CM V D Satheesan and ministers reached out to them on Monday and said the government will establish a foolproof mechanism for rescue operations at sea | P4 Row over League’s NITC governing council pick Kozhikode: The nomination of Ponnani-based businessman and educationist Lefeer Muhamed as one of the state’s nominees to the governing body of NITC has kicked up a row. Lefeer was nominated by the IUML | P5 Set up 2 spl courts for Manipur violence: SC U D AYA N K I S H O R E @ New Delhi THE Supreme Court on Monday asked authorities concerned to consider setting up two trial courts to exclusively deal with cases arising out of the 2023 Manipur violence. A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana said that one court will be for CBI cases, while the other will try cases lodged by NIA. “Our concern is whether these courts are dealing exclusively with CBI and NIA cases arising out of the Manipur violence, or whether they are also dealing with other cases,” the bench said. It further took note of the security situation in Manipur and directed the state and Central security agencies to ensure that probe agencies carry out their investigations without interruption. P a r l i a m e n t de a d l o c k Shah ready to debate students’ stir; Cong adds temple theft to demand P R E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi THE Parliament stand-off continued on Monday even after the government offered a debate and Home Minister Amit Shah’s reply on the student protests and police action, with the Congress insisting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi reply to a discussion on the donation theft at the Ayodhya Ram temple. While Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi demanded that Shah disclose who authorised the use of pellet guns against the protesters, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju hit back saying Shah will give a proper reply but the Opposition should not try to run away from discussion by disrupting House proceedings. Speaking to reporters after the Business Advisory Committee meeting, Rijiju said the government is ready for a full-fledged discussion in the Lok Sabha on the student protests and police action across the country and Shah will reply to the debate, provided the Opposition promises to listen peacefully . Congress is shifting goalposts: Nadda Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s charges, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said the Congress is repeatedly shifting goalposts to disrupt Parliament. He said the Opposition party’s demand moved from a debate on NEET paper leak, a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah on the student protests, and then to the Ram temple trust issue Shah has not been seen in the House in the ongoing session even though he has been regularly coming to Parliament House complex. On a question whether the issue of alleged theft of donation will also be discussed, he said the Uttar Pradesh government’s probe through a special investigation team and several other steps are going on. Responding to the government’s offer that Shah will speak in Parliament, Rahul said the question was never about whether Shah can give a speech on ‘general issues’. “The question was that Home Minister Shah has to make it clear who authorised the shooting of our children in Delhi. He is the home minister; pellet guns were fired,” Rahul said, adding he must come clean whether he gave the firing orders or not. Talking to the media alongside party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul said if Shah ordered pellet gun use, he is culpable; if he didn’t know, he is incompetent, adding Shah “should go” either way . Rahul added that Modi must apologise for the police action during the Janta Mantar protest. The third issue, he said, is the Ayodhya donation theft. Kharge said the Opposition wanted a discussion on these issues but the government did not say anything for 15 days, which shows they did not want a discussion. Govt may take JPC route for FCRA bill P R E E THA N AIR @ New Delhi Facing mounting opposition from political parties, church leaders and civil society organisations, the government may consider referring the contentious Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for detailed scrutiny before taking it up in Parliament, sources said. Neither the FCRA Bill nor the proposed Delimitation Bill figured in Monday’s Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting despite speculation that the government could take up the legislation in the remaining days of the Monsoon Session. TNIE reported on Saturday that the government had not listed the two bills for the BAC meeting on Monday . Opposition sources told TNIE that the government has proposed referring the bill to a JPC but they will insist the legislation be withdrawn altogether. On Saturday NCP (SP) work, ing president Supriya Sule said foreign funding can’t always be viewed with suspicion, and urged the Centre to withdraw the bill or refer it to a JPC. class apart 99, but ex-headmaster in no mood to hang up teaching boots S h ya m P V @Palakkad A century is a milestone few live to see. For P Krishnanunni Nair, however, nearing 100 has not meant stepping away from the life he has known for decades. Even at this age, the retired headmaster remains connected with students, spending time at the tuition centre he founded and sharing the knowledge and experience gathered through more than seven decades of teaching. On Sunday morning, students continued to approach Krishnanunni -- a resident of Thrithala in Palakkad district -- with their doubts even as he sat in the office room of the tuition centre. And he remained eager to talk about education, language, teaching and the changing world around them. He retired as the headmaster of AUP School, Malamakkavu, in 1982. Soon, he started the Masters Tuition Centre in Thrithala. “Education shaped my life, and English has been an important part of that journey I can. not imagine a day without meeting children and coming to the tuition centre,” said P Krishnanunni Nair with students at his tuition centre in Thrithala Krishnanunni, known affectionately as ‘Valiya Mash’. Bor n on March 15, 1927, Krishnanunni Nair’s teaching career began in 1949, when Malamakkavu Variyath Raghava Varier took the initiative to start a higher elementary school offering Classes VI to VIII at Malamakkavu. “I joined the school as its headmaster and continued in that position until my retirement. I taught English and Hindi,” he recalled. More than seven decades later, his enthusiasm for learning and teaching remains undiminished. His family and students, both past and present, had gathered on February 27 to celebrate his ‘shatabdi’, according to the Malayalam calendar. If anything, the years have added to his experience but taken little away from ● More on P4 his curiosity  .