US: IIT boys win 'next big idea' prize

Students from IIT Madras have won New York City's 'Next Big Business Idea' contest. The contest was to pitch a business idea that will improve quality of life and create jobsand continue to attract and retain talented entrepreneurs from around the globe. Their winning idea could solve New York's energy problems, but to implement the plan the winners would first need a work visa. "The sad truth is that the talented young men and women you see here are likely to have a difficult time to get a visa to grow their business here. Ultimately that means that some other city is like to benefit from their ideas and the jobs it creates. It is time to fix this crazy broken system," said Michael Bloomberg, the New York City Mayor. With unemployment at an all time high, the immigration debate has become a heated one in the US. One in five New Yorkers is an immigrant, many of whom have been returning to their countries because of the economic recession. "We are educating the best and the brightest and then we do not give them green cards. Too many people think that immigrants are threatening but in fact immigrants are the solution to the problem," said Bloomberg. As Washington debates whether to increase or decrease work visas for foreigners, the Mayor of New York - a city of immigrants struggling to fight an economic recession - points out that legal immigration must be made easier. He says America needs it and immigrants deserve it.