Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has described the US decision to raise H-1B visa fees and impose fresh tariffs on Indian goods as a “sharp setback” for India, particularly in terms of jobs and trade. Silicon Valley, he noted that people-to-people ties remain a strong foundation. Highlighting the presence of over five million Indian-origin people in the US, including students and CEOs in, he noted that people-to-people ties remain a strong foundation. The latest US policy changes, which include a 50% tariff hike on Indian imports and raising the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000, had caused temporary panic among visa holders. However, Tharoor expressed confidence that the “larger picture” of India-US ties would ultimately bring relations back to balance.