HR movement not an immigration issue; part of trade: Nasscom

IT and BPO industry association Nasscom has termed discriminatory the restrictions some Western countries have imposed on movement of skilled people from countries like India.

The association said that while it is a country’s sovereign right to decide on granting citizenship, it is a discriminate trade practice to put restrictions on temporary movement of people for work critical to the services industry. Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar has said it would deny some players a level playing field, thus violating the spirit of free trade.

‘Discriminatory’ “They (discriminatory practices) impede trade. Free trade is not a one-way street. Trade in services far exceeds physical goods. And in services, it is people with skills who play an important role. It (movement of people) is no longer an immigration (visa) issue; it is something related to trade,” Chandrashekhar told BusinessLine . The Nasscom President was here to take part in the two-day Global In-House Centres (GIC) Conclave. Newly-elected Nasscom Chairman CP Gurnani welcomed the attempts being made by the Centre to safeguard the interests of the Indian IT industry. “The Centre has taken up the issue of discriminatory practices with the World Trade Organisation,” said Gurnani, also the Managing Director of Tech Mahindra.

Gurnani said the present Nasscom can’t be the Nasscom for the future. He said the association would transform itself into one to take care of future needs. “We are working with IIM-B to prepare a programme to develop future leaders. We will offer this platform to prospective leaders,” he said.

The future, according to him, will be a hybrid of firms with traditional core strengths, and new age companies.

Leadership meets The association would take the NILF (Nasscom India Leadership Forum) conferences to the US and the UK this year. “The scope of Nasscom is much beyond India. We are developing global products and the conferences would take us closure to our customers,” he said.