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The new US Gold Card programme that promises a quick pathway to US residency has seen significant interest from Indians, after the Trump administration imposed a steep $100,000 one-time fee on the popular non-immigrant H-1B visas.Immigration firms said they are now getting 30-40% more enquiries from Indians, especially the wealthy, about the Gold Card programme.Individuals can purchase the Gold Card for $1 million. President Donald Trump, who has been talking about introducing the programme since his inauguration earlier this year, signed an executive order on September 19, bringing it into effect.124186092"Interest has gone up sharply since the H-1B revisions," said Sahil Nyati, founder of immigration consultancy Jinee Green Card & Meritmap.ai. Most of the enquiries are from mid-career tech professionals who are in their 30s-40s with STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) backgrounds, he said.The Gold Card is structured around a non-refundable $1 million "gift" to the US Treasury, or $2 million via corporate sponsorship. The US government framed this not as an investment-based visa like EB5, but as a contribution toward American industry and commerce, according to experts.Trump followed up on the Gold Card programme with an unexpected announcement increasing the fee for the H-1B visa programme for skilled foreign workers to a flat $100,000. The fee previously was $2,000-5,000, depending on the size of the company that sponsored the visa. Indians are the most affected by the H-1B fee hike."In our own practice, conversations referencing the Gold Card are up around 40% this week compared with a normal week, mainly from individuals who were originally considering H-1B or EB-5," said Sukanya Raman, country head at immigration firm Davies & Associates.Official statistics on the number of Gold Card enquiries and applications are not yet available. But US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick claimed that there have already been about a quarter million expressions of interest, according to Rohit Jain, managing partner at Singhania & Co."Our Immigration law teams are noticing a surge in queries from potential clients, particularly corporations, since the announcement of a steep hike in H-1B fees," he said.Prachi Shah, who runs an eponymous law firm, however, said the interest in the Gold Card among the South Asian client base is low. "This is primarily due to the significant investment requirements and the perception that the Gold Card demands a non-refundable $1 million commitment."Immigration lawyers are also seeing some Indians warming up to other countries instead of the US due to Washinton making immigration visas more expensive and difficult to get.In addition to the Gold Card, the US government is also looking at launching the 'Trump Platinum Card', which will require a $5 million contribution to get a residency permit.

The ministry of road transport and highways has mandated all new private and commercial electric vehicles to be fitted with Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) with effect from October 1, 2026 while the existing models will have time till October 1, 2027 to fit AVAS. The move is aimed at alerting pedestrians about approaching EVs which do not emit any sound and sometimes result in accidents. “On and after 1st October 2026 in case of new models and 1st October 2027 in case of existing models, electrified vehicles of category M and N shall be fitted with Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) meeting requirements with regard to audibility,” the ministry said in a draft notification.An Acoustic Vehicle Alert System (AVAS) is a safety feature in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids that emits sounds to alert pedestrians and other road users to their presence.Since EVs are significantly quieter than traditional vehicles, AVAS uses external speakers to produce an audible warning sound that varies with speed, enhancing pedestrian safety, particularly at low speeds and in reverse.Electrified vehicles of Category M include electric cars and buses designed for passenger transport, while Category N vehicles are electric-powered trucks and goods vehicles used for transporting cargo.As per the draft notification, this would also apply to electric three-wheelers, E-risckshaw and E-cart.Countries like the US, Japan and some of the European Union nations have already mandated uses of AVAS in hybrid vehicles.

Punjab's Behari Lal Engineering and Bhubaneswar-based CSM Technologies have filed their draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to launch their initial public offering (IPO). Behari Lal plans to raise Rs 110 crore through a fresh issue, while CSM Technologies will issue up to 1.29 crore new equity shares.Behari Lal Engineering IPOBehari Lal Engineering IPO will be a fresh issue aggregating up to Rs 110 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) of up to 7,854,521 equity shares by existing shareholders. The selling shareholders include promoters – Rajesh Garg and Lovlish Garg, promoter group members, Yogita Garg, promoter Group Selling Shareholder, Dinesh Kumar Garg (HUF), and investor shareholder SG Tech Engineering Private Limited.The offer is being made through the book-building process. Proceeds from the fresh issue will be utilised towards funding capital expenditure requirements, repayment or prepayment of borrowings, and general corporate purposes. Behari Lal Engineering was founded in Punjab in 1995 under the name Behari Lal Ispat Private Limited. In 2024, the company was converted into a public limited entity and renamed Behari Lal Engineering Limited to reflect its larger scale and broader product portfolio. The company is a renowned manufacturer of engineering castings, alloy steel products, and metal rolls, all of which are vital components in industries including steel, power, and heavy engineering.Also Read: Aarvee Engineering, Deon Energy file DRHPs with Sebi to raise Rs 202 crore and Rs 150 crore via fresh issueCSM Technologies IPOCSM Technologies offers digital transformation, GovTech and IT consulting services. The IPO, with a face value of Rs 10 per equity share, consists entirely of a fresh issue of up to 1,29,01,000 equity shares, with no offer-for-sale (OFS) component.The proceeds from the fresh issue will be utilised towards funding growth initiatives, strengthening technological infrastructure, repayment/prepayment of certain borrowings, and general corporate purposes.Founded in 1998 as Cybertech Software & Multimedia Pvt. Ltd., the company was renamed CSM Technologies Pvt. Ltd. in 2014 and converted into a public company in 2025. The company has subsidiaries in the USA, UAE, Canada, Kenya, and Rwanda, along with an Indian subsidiary, Kwantify Solutions Pvt. Ltd.The promoters of the company are Priyadarshi Pany and Lagna Panda.For FY2025, CSM Technologies reported consolidated revenue from operations of Rs 1,992.4 crore, compared to Rs 1,967.1 crore in FY2024 and Rs 1,604.4 crore in FY2023. Profit after tax rose to Rs 129.9 crore in FY2025, from Rs 104.3 crore in FY2024 and Rs 80.0 crore in FY2023.The Book Running Lead Manager to the issue is Keynote Financial Services Limited, and the Registrar to the issue is KFin Technologies Limited.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)

A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to Gaganpreet Kaur, the woman accused in the Dhaula Kuan BMW accident that claimed the life of Ministry of Finance Deputy Secretary Navjot singh, and critically injured his wife.She was brought to the Patiala House Court earlier in the day for the bail plea hearing which was allowed by Judicial Magistrate Ankit Garg, with a detailed order expected soon.Kaur, who was arrested on September 15 after sustaining injuries in the crash, had sought bail stressing that the incident was “wholly accidental” and unintentional.The 38-year-old accused, who had been in judicial custody, further argued that she had no prior criminal record and had fully cooperated with the investigation. The accident took place on September 14 near the Delhi Cantonment Metro Station on Ring Road, when Kaur’s BMW reportedly rammed into the two-wheeler being ridden by Deputy Secretary Singh and his wife. Singh, a deputy secretary in the Department of Economic Affairs, lived in West Delhi’s Hari Nagar area. An FIR was registered under Sections 281 (rash driving), 125B (endangering life or personal safety of others), 105 and 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita in connection with the incident.Police have allege that Kaur's BMW struck a divider and flipped, triggering a chain reaction in which the victim’s motorcycle collided with a DTC bus. Kaur, along with her husband, two children, and a maid, and the motorcyclists sustained injuries and were admitted to hospital prior to her arrest on September 15. Meanwhile, blood tests confirmed she was not under the influence of alcohol. Senior advocates Vikas Pahwa and Prabhav Ralli, representing Kaur, earlier opposed the police’s request for remand, pointing to a 10-hour delay in FIR registration, while Advocate Ishan Dewan appeared for the victims.(With PTI inputs)