The US President sat in his office with his customary brashness showcasing to the world mediathat he wielded the pen of destiny (or is it destitution?). In one stroke of his now infamouscrayon, he declared that the implementation of the H-1B visa would change dramatically. He imposed unilaterally a fee of $100,000 for the privilege of an H-1B visa. And in minutes of that declaration the internet went ballistic. People of Chinese and Indian heritage seeking the H-1B visa were suddenly left in desperation and utter bewilderment.
I on the other hand was not surprised at all. As I have said many times before, Trump does not operate in the real world. His motivation is personal gain and personal showmanship. He loves to perform to his fan base. Each time he does something controversial, he secures the Republican vote bank even more. He operates in a world where he truly believes that America is the most powerful nation on this planet, and that there is nothing anyone can do to undermine its might. However, like most of his so-called crayon ‘masterstrokes’, it will end up in the courts.
People have now had the opportunity to reflect, and independent thinkers are concluding that maybe the long-term winner will be India. The president might have done India a huge favour. In one go he has managed to shock India and Indians intoa space that requires risk and determination, with a dose of structural changes and increasing liquidity. Trump’s executive order is likely to shoot US innovation in the foot, whereas it can potentially give India’s innovation industry a shot in the arm.
America and other western nations gave the bright Indian the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of technology. To work in an environment where money was never the issue. Billions spent over decades to ensure that America remained at the top of every technological innovation. Let’s be very clear, the average American is no match for an Indian. Had it not been for the Indian diasporaAmericawould have been relegated to the 2nd division decades ago.
Where on this planet can anyone find people with top end skills, knowledge on artificial intelligence, deep science, hard-core engineering, computing and biotechnology? It’s one thing to rid the nation of those who bring low-level skills because it’s possible to train Americans to take up those jobs. However, when it comes to the top 1% of intelligent people, it would take America decades of systematic investment and training to get the numbers to address their core needs.
In the short-term Indians will suffer. Very few companies will fork out $100000 for a visa for an Indian, unless they are sure they will get back ten times the amount in high quality work and innovation.
The gain for India being that many of the talented might now remain in the country. There is also scope for multi-nationals to invest a lot more in India knowing that the raw talent they seek is in India. America’s loss can be turned into India’s gain.
For those who are high earners in India, let me assure you, their lifestyle is significantly better than anything you’ll find in America or Europe. India now offers many more elite schools with an international curriculum. It has a digital economy that is in many instances far more advanced than that found in America. Innovation like UPI runs into hundreds of millions of users. People are routinely flying to India to be treated in the world-class hospitals. As we saw during COVID, the pharmaceutical industry isoperating on a global scale. And the number of startups has gone up exponentially, as has ambition. And if this is not enough, India has a massive young workforceat alower cost to service this growth.
For India thisrepresents a massive opportunity to rid itself of outdated practices that hinder growth, investment and innovation. It can and must rid itself of the power brokers whose pockets have to be linedbefore projects get off the ground. It’s time for a revolution of ideas, of intent, of determination, of reward to risk, and ingiving the nation a shot of much needed adrenaline to energise thesystem.
India can learn from China but should also ensure it does it even better. India must never bow down to western imperial powers. It should maintain and foster relations with Russia, China, the Middle East and other nations, since the bottomline is simple, India must always come first for all Indians.
For India, this can be a win-win, if it stands tall, be self-assured and backs itself.