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India Today
14-07-2025
- Health
- India Today
How Trump's Bill is neither big nor beautiful for Indians in US
On America's 250th Independence Day on July 4, President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) into law, marking a seismic shift in the US' immigration laws, especially its healthcare policy. For over 2 million Indian immigrants in the US, this legislation threatens to curb access to critical healthcare just immigrants, this policy overhaul is also affecting millions of Americans, and is projected to strip health insurance from 17 million US few days before the megabill was signed into law Donald Trump had said, "We're cutting $1.7 trillion in this bill, and you're not gonna feel any of it. Your Medicaid is left alone. The only people losing Medicaid will be illegals and freeloaders. That's how it should be."But it's not just the illegal immigrants who are facing the brunt of Trump's bill. For the second-largest immigrant community in the US – Indians – the bill is neither big nor beautiful. It may even alter the way Indians view the American BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL MAY AFFECT FRESH GRADUATES Of the 2 million Indian immigrants (as per MEA's March 2025 data), over 4.2 lakh are Indian students, as per a US government immigrants on student visas in the US are not eligible for federal healthcare schemes such as Medicaid, and most rely on university-sponsored health insurance during their studies, a critical gap arises during the transition from student life to they graduate, their university coverage ends, leaving many without any health insurance while they search for jobs or begin Optional Practical Training (OPT).This transition period, which can vary from weeks to several months, often leaves graduates vulnerable to unexpected medical expenses. Since private insurance in the US is expensive, a source who studied at Rutgers University in New Jersey told India Today Digital that many go without coverage entirely during this only after securing employment that they gain access to employer-sponsored health schemes, which is often given after a three-month waiting period, the New Jersey-based source there was one way students on F1 visas could purchase plans through the ACA Marketplace (Obamacare) if they are lawfully present in the US, though do not qualify for its safety net will not be available after the Big Beautiful Bill is fully enforced by REFUGEES, LOW-INCOME GROUPS WILL HAVE NO SAFETY NET IN USA significant number of immigrants, particularly refugees and low-income groups directly depend on federal healthcare from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) suggest that asylum claims by Indian nationals increased from 6,000 in 2020 to 51,000 in 2023, an eightfold increase. For asylum seekers, reliance on Medicaid or emergency healthcare programmes is often their only the latest law may reduce the number of undocumented immigrants, these restrictions may reshape perceptions of the US as a land of interestingly, Indian immigrants in the US have a seemingly decent record when it comes to health to a November 2024 report by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), Indians in the US had higher health insurance coverage rates compared to both the broader immigrant population and native-born Americans. The data revealed that in 2023, 4% of Indian immigrants were uninsured – a figure lower than the uninsured rates for the US-born population (6%) and the overall foreign-born population (18%).advertisementHowever, given that there are over 2 million Indian immigrants in the US, even a small percentage facing a lapse in coverage translates to tens of thousands left without a healthcare safety net. Estimates suggest that more than 80,000 Indians may fall into this vulnerable category. When fresh graduates – many of whom temporarily lose coverage after university – are added to this number, the figure would temporarily US has long grappled with some of the world's highest healthcare costs, where a single hospital stay can bankrupt families. Routine medical procedures carry price tags that would be unthinkable in other developed access to healthcare and maintaining health insurance is a necessity in there is still time before the full impact hits as the implementation of these policy changes is phased out, with some provisions, such as Medicaid work requirements, and Affordable Care Act subsidy restrictions, starting in January SUBSIDIES TO TAX CREDITS: WHAT THOUSANDS OF INDIANS WILL LOOSEUnder existing laws, legal immigrants, including Green Card holders, refugees, survivors of domestic violence, and those on work or student visas, have several ways to access healthcare Card holders (permanent residents), refugees, survivors of domestic violence, and professionals (such as H-1B visa holders) or students (F-1 visa) can enrol in health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, commonly known as ACA platform allows individuals, families, and small businesses to compare and purchase health insurance policies.A key benefit of the ACA marketplace is the availability of premium tax credits (PTCs), which are federal subsidies designed to reduce monthly insurance costs for eligible enrollees. These credits make health coverage more affordable by lowering premium payments for qualified immigrants qualify for Medicaid also – the joint state-federal programme that provides health coverage to low-income individuals. Eligibility for Medicaid varies by immigrants aged 65 or older, or those with disabilities, become eligible for Medicare, the federal health insurance programme for seniors and certain disabled individuals. Medicare provides comprehensive coverage, though some beneficiaries may need to pay premiums for certain parts of the from this, many Indian immigrants, particularly H-1B professionals, rely on employer-sponsored insurance, which covers about half of all non-citizen immigrants, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, a San Francisco-based non-profit Indian students on F-1 visas typically pay between $1,500 and $2,500 annually for mandatory university health plans, as reported by the Institute of International DOES ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL CHANGE?The OBBB severely alters the existing provisions by narrowing eligibility for federal healthcare to Politico, the bill restricts healthcare access primarily to Green Card holders, Cuban and Haitian immigrants, and select Pacific Island major changes stand Medicaid will impose an 80-hour monthly work, volunteer, or schooling requirement starting in 2027, along with biannual eligibility checks that could disrupt coverage for vulnerable the bill bars non-citizens, including visa holders, from receiving ACA subsidies, forcing many to shoulder higher insurance families, including elderly parents and refugees, are also at risk of losing Medicaid coverage if they cannot meet the new work on H-1B visas who lack employer insurance, reportedly common among gig workers or contractors, may lose ACA subsidies, making coverage already paying steep premiums for university plans, could face even fewer to India Today Digital, Suhas Pratap, an H-1B visa holder and a senior cloud architect at a major tech firm in New Jersey said, "My wife and I pay nearly $27,000 annually in taxes. Yet this bill would classify us as undeserving of the same safety nets our taxes help fund. Tech companies lobby for more H-1B visas, yet lawmakers want to deny us basic healthcare protections. My premium would jump from $450 to over $1,200 monthly without subsidies."advertisementThe Washington Post said the verification process itself creates hurdles: "The way it works right now, consumers can go to and buy a subsidised plan But under the GOP changes, subsidies would be withheld until the state verifies eligibility."This delay could also leave many without coverage during emergency or critical full implementation of the healthcare laws looming less than two years away, they will certainly test whether the US remains a land of opportunity for millions of Indians who contribute billions to the American economy.- EndsTune In
India Today
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Ex-lover turns revenge into porn profit, morphs Assam girl into Babydoll Archi
Time and again, a lover scorned has sought revenge. But for Pratim Bora, a mechanical engineer from Assam working in Delhi, revenge came pixel by pixel. This story is a cautionary tale of the use of AI technology gone too far. Using just a single photograph of his ex-girlfriend, a girl from Assam, Bora generated sexually explicit images and videos with AI. What began as personal vengeance soon spiralled into profits from the porn porn is not that uncommon in this digital age, but this is an unusual story of a young engineer turning to profit from porn after creating AI images for revenge against his former girlfriend. After realising the commercial gains from the AI-generated sexually explicit content, Bora took to producing pornographic content on an industrial scale with just a single image of the girl from created a fake online persona, Babydoll Archi, of his former girlfriend and began uploading the AI-generated content to pornography websites. The profile exploded in popularity, with many led to believe that the girl from Assam was making her debut in the American adult entertainment industry. The interest in the handle came after Bora somehow managed to get an AI-generated photo of the girl with American adult entertainment star Kenda Lust shared by her. To protect the Assam girl's identity and privacy, India Today Digital is avoiding the use of her name and blurring the face on story doesn't just recount the meticulous methods of a devious mind, but stands out as a reminder to millions fooled by the use of AI technology — 'Seeing is Believing' ain't true any WAS THE VIRAL BABYDOLL ARCHI ACCOUNT?The Babydoll Archi account, which was created in August 2020, has over 1.3 million followers as of July 14. The account is still functional and shows that its username has been changed twice since its creation five years has a link-tree page that leads to a link called "actual fans". One of the stories on the page says, "I will post one of my movies for free after 1000 subscribers".The Babydoll Archi Instagram handle went viral after a saree transformation reel synced to Dame Un Grrr — a Spanish song by Romanian singer Kate Linn that is dominating social media platforms — on June buzz only grew louder after a picture was shared on her Instagram featuring Archi along with popular adult entertainment star Kendra Lust. Now, we know that the photo, like all other images posted on social media platforms, was Bora got Kendra Lust to share the image is a question that will be revealed after interrogation and around 82,000 followers, the handle grew to 1.2 million followers in these posts became viral, social media chatter started about the girl from Assam posting from the handle Babydoll Archi was not a real person but a digital the near-flawless visuals, animation-like transitions, and heavily stylised expressions fooled millions for months over the internet. And these weren't just images, but videos with the same account also gained traction as it shared details of Babydoll Archi's life. It showed that she travelled around India, with videos and images from Delhi and Mumbai to give the digital persona a real-life people questioned if the girl was for real, Bora spun an incredible story of human grit and Archi said she was "trapped in prostitution for six years and paying Rs 25 lakhs for her freedom" from GB Road, Delhi's red-light image accompanying the post was location-tagged to GB Road, account blew up and the news of an Assam girl joining the adult entertainment industry spread like wildfire. The real-life girl whose face was used by Bora, first for revenge and then for gains, lodged a police might not have budgeted for the blowback. He changed the account name from Babydoll Archi to Amira Ishtara in was the cyber defamation case that finally revealed the revenge-turned-profit case of Babydoll TO DEEPFAKE: STORY OF BABYDOLL ARCHIThe meticulously planned plot started unravelling after the cyber defamation complaint by Bora's former girlfriend, the Assam girl whose name and photo were being misused by followed was a chilling reminder of how powerful and dangerous AI tools can become in the wrong from Dibrugarh, where the complaint was lodged, arrested Pratim Bora for allegedly unleashing a calculated digital uncle said he was a mechanical engineer who was employed in Delhi but was now working from home in has been charged with creating and circulating sexually explicit, AI-generated images of the woman across various social media SSP-in-charge, Sizal Agarwal, confirmed the use of AI tools in the creation and spread of the morphed images and videos. She said data had been sought from multiple agencies for investigation into the arrested accused, Pratim Bora, had used one image of the victim to generate several obscene and pornographic content using various AI software. The victim and the accused have a past acquaintance," Agarwal told the has been reported that the two of them studied reportedly used AI platforms like Midjourney AI, Desire AI, and OpenArt superimposed the Assam girl's face onto pornographic visuals, fabricating the illusion that she was an influencer who was about to debut in the US-based adult entertainment intent? Pure vengeance at first, and financial gain later."It was made to appear as if the victim had joined the porn industry. On meticulous investigation, we can say all photos and videos circulated on social media are fake and have been made using AI software," said police officer said Bora used this "as a way of financial gain" and made money from subscriptions for the AI-generated content of the victim that he was said the police seized Bora's financial documents, including his credit and debit card."He might have earned around Rs 10 lakh from the operations," said Agarwal, adding that an investigation was on to uncover the real amount stated could be just the tip of the iceberg given that Bora succeeded in engagement-farming and was able to rope in Kendra Lust, a super-popular adult was tracked and arrested from Tinsukia in upper Assam on the night of July is currently in custody and will be presented in court on Monday. Agarwal said the police planned to seek Bora's seven-day custody for further during interrogation, he admitted to not only creating the images but also setting up fake Gmail accounts and social media profiles to upload and spread them. Investigators are now verifying those fake digital identities and tracing the full extent of the Agarwal issued a public warning that anyone found forwarding or commenting abusively on the fake content, even after knowing it was false, would face legal story of Pratim Bora and Babydoll Archi is a cautionary tale of how technology, particularly to do with AI, can be misused. The story of revenge with porn that turned into business for the accused is also a lesson for people that all that meets the eye is not what they seem to be, particularly in the age of AI.- EndsTrending Reel
India Today
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Actor Yuva on uncle Shiva Rajkumar's towering screen presence: He has that aura
Every cinema superstar in India has one thing in common, and that is absolute screen presence. Yuva Rajkumar, grandson of matinee legend Dr Rajkumar and nephew of Shiva Rajkumar and the late Puneeth Rajkumar, believes it is the aura one personally carries that enhances an actor's on-screen persona, creating brilliant cinematic moments through sheer an exclusive chat with India Today Digital, the young actor, who is busy promoting his second film 'Ekka', shared his thoughts on the magic behind the screen presence of Indian superstars. He said, 'It's an aura they bring. It's probably an aura that some people have as individuals itself. It's not something that you see only in films.'advertisementTalking about Shiva Rajkumar's screen presence, the 'Yuva' actor added, 'When you talk about my Doddappa (Uncle), Shivanna, I'm sure if you just meet him you will feel his aura. And that is not because he is an actor or a superstar - as an individual, he always has that aura. I don't know if it is something you can work on or if it's just natural.' Taking Shiva Rajkumar's viral tissue box scene from Rajinikanth's 'Jailer' as an example, he said, 'Shivanna's one tissue box scene - it is just one scene, but you know the kind of impact that one scene made. It could have been shot and shown in multiple ways, but I think for that scene to do what it did in the film, it is because of his screen presence. I think it is something that people have or something that develops over time.' Yuva Rajkumar made his feature film debut as a lead actor in 'Yuva' in March 2024. The film was backed by Vijay Kiragandur's Hombale Films and directed by Santhosh Ananddram, who had previously delivered blockbusters like 'Rajakumara' and 'Mr and Mrs Ramachari'. The film turned out to be a box office success, with many praising Yuva's finesse in action and 'Yuva', the actor took his time to pick his next project, 'Ekka'. This intense commercial action film has been directed by Rohit Padaki of 'Rathnan Prapancha' fame and features Sanjana Anand, Sampada Hulivana, Aditya, Atul Kulkarni and Poornachandra Mysore alongside Yuva Rajkumar. 'Ekka' releases in theatres on July 18, 2025.- EndsALSO WATCH:
India Today
09-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
How even non-citizens get to vote in India. The devil lies in Form 6
The Election Commission's decision to conduct an intensive revision of electoral rolls across India, beginning with poll-bound Bihar, has sparked a massive political storm. The Election Commission (EC) wants to weed out non-citizens from the electoral rolls. This begs the question – How did non-citizens become voters in the first place? The answer to this question lies in Form 6, issued by the EC, is to be used by Indians who are 18 or older to register as voters in the area of their the EC is trying to weed out non-citizens from voters' lists through the special intensive revision (SIR), the lacuna in Form 6 has come under criticism. The Form 6 doesn't require applicants to provide any documents to prove they are Indians. A mere declaration and proof of date of birth and address suffices. The provisions of Form 6 are laid out in the the Registration of Electors Rules, part of the SIR, the EC is conducting a door-to-door exercise in last such intensive revision of the voter list in India took place in 2003-2004. Since then, there have been only summary revisions, and millions of doubtful voters might have ended up voting. The summary revision is a routine update of voter lists, while the SIR is a more detailed one to verify and clean up the Opposition parties and activists have taken the matter to the Supreme Court, it was the Congress itself, which raised the question of the sanctity of the electoral list after the polls in Maharashtra in citizens of India should be allowed to decide the country's course, and for that it has to be ensured that illegal immigrants do not get to has 20 million Bangladeshi illegal immigrants, Kiren Rijiju, then junior Home Minister, told Parliament in 2016. The demography of dozens of districts in the country has changed due to illegal intensive revision of electoral rolls is a must to rid them of the illegal immigrants who might have surreptitiously sneaked into the voter list. But the most important thing is to ensure that non-citizens do not become voters in the first place.A former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) told India Today Digital that not just Form 6, the entire electoral process needed a relook because of the deluge of illegal immigrants into the country over by India Today Digital to get an official response on the process of registration of voters from the office of Director General (Media) of the EC bore no results. An Electoral Registration Officer cum Sub-Divisional Officer in Bihar's Motihari reviews the distribution of enumeration forms by BLOs. (Image: Chief Electoral Officer, Bihar/X) FORM 6 AND THE AADHAAR LINK IN NEW VOTER REGISTRATIONAs part of the intensive revision of the voter list in Bihar, the EC on June 24 issued a list of 11 documents, one of which is to be used to prove identity card or pension payment order, birth certificate, passport, matriculation certificate, domicile, caste or forest right certificates are among the 11 list doesn't include Aadhaar card, PAN and driving licence, generally used across India as ID reason -- Aadhaar or the other documents are identity proof but do not prove Aadhaar is one document that can be used in Form 6."The Form 6, which is required to be filled to become a new voter, does not ask for any citizenship documents. It requires just a declaration of citizenship," says political strategist and commentator Amitabh proof of date of birth and address, Aadhaar can be given. So, in that entire document [Form 6], Aadhaar is mentioned six times. Citizen is mentioned twice," Tiwari, founder of Ascendia Strategies, tells India Today EC's SIR exercise has been challenged in the Supreme Court over the list of 11 documents and the timing, which the Opposition says is close to the election in parties have questioned the exclusion of everyday documents like Aadhaar in the leader Tejashwi Yadav sought that Aadhaar, other than ration and MNREGS cards, be allowed as proof of place of birth for the in The Indian Express suggested that Aadhaar was among the most-available documents across several districts in ONE BECOMES A VOTER IN INDIAOther than the annual correction or summary revision, there is an extensive drive to add new voters ahead of every officers (BLOs) are supposed to pass on the Form 6 to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), who decides on the final of polls, even block-level agents (BLAs) of political parties too get involved in the process with the incentive that helping applicants register as voters would boost their party's say that the process of adding first-time voters takes the form of a sales-target job."When Form 6 was initially introduced in 1952, no one foresaw such a large scale inflow of illegal immigrants," a former Chief Election Commissioner told India Today Digital, requesting anonymity."It is common knowledge that non-citizens are using Aadhaar to get into the electoral process," he former CEC explained that connecting an Aadhaar number to a voter's Electronic Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) is an attempt at removing duplicate and multiple voting entries of an individual. The Form 6 is used by Indian citizens aged 18 or above to apply for inclusion of their name in the electoral roll of their place of residence. (Image: Election Commission) WHY INDIA SHOULD RIGOROUSLY VET CITIZENSHIP OF VOTERSThough the government might have sought to use Aadhaar to curb voter fraud, the use of the very same to register as a voter through Form 6 might have allowed non-citizens to get onto the voter former CEC said ways and means will have to be developed to prevent the entry of non-citizens on the electoral rolls."Hereafter, Form 6 will have to be revised. Not just Form 6, the entire electoral process will need to be looked into to prevent non-citizens from getting into the electoral process," he it isn't difficult to register as a voter with the help of Aadhaar was, ironically, pointed out by RJD's Tejashwi Yadav himself as he criticised the SIR."My wife, who was earlier a voter in Delhi, got her voter ID made in Bihar after our marriage, based on her Aadhaar card. Why, then, is the Aadhaar card excluded from the list of documents required for the SIR in Bihar," he asked. The EC has held that the Aadhaar card is neither proof of date nor place of birth, and neither of citizenship, according to a report in The Times of India on July 6."Even the Aadhaar Act doesn't say that the Aadhaar card is a proof of citizenship," another former CEC, Ashok Lavasa, told India Today TV, when asked if the Aadhaar card was enough to prove citizenship for the SIR the intensive revision of voter rolls is needed to verify the authenticity of those already registered to vote, there should be thorough vetting before voters are which faces a big problem of illegal immigration, cannot have a lax process in registering to the "lower benchmark" in enroling first-time voters "because there is always a pressure on ECI and other bodies to have as many voters as possible", Tiwari suggests tightening the system at the entry point says proof of citizenship, and not just a declaration, should be mandatory while enroling first-time voters as the Supreme Court takes up the issue of the EC's intensive revision exercise in Bihar, it is high time that India makes the process of registering as a voter robust, so that non-citizens can be kept out of deciding its destiny.- EndsMust Watch
India Today
06-07-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Rahul Gandhi: BJP and Nitish Kumar have turned Bihar into a crime capital
0:31 In an exclusive chat with India Today Digital, double Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra opened up on the pressure of organising and taking part in the Neeraj Chopra Classic. On Saturday, July 5, Neeraj won the inaugural edition of the championship with a throw of 86.18m at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
