New Delhi: India is taking up with the United States the issue of reduction of H1B Visas for specialised workers as it would affect movement of Indian software professionals to that country, the Rajya Sabha was informed on August 21.

The US has decided to reduce the quota of H1B Visas from 1.95 lakhs to 65,000 this year. "We are trying to pursue the matter," Information Technology Minister Arun Shourie said replying to supplementaries during the Question Hour.

To another question he said there was a "backlash" in countries from where outsourcing jobs were being given to call centres in India.

On the development in hardware sector, Shourie said the government had set up a task force comprising representatives from industry to increase its competitiveness.

Shourie said he had raised the issue of free movement in the services sector during the recent mini- meeting of World Trade Organisation (WTO) at Montreal.

He said out of the total Rs 97,400 crore of IT exports in 2002, hardware contributed Rs 37,500 crore and software and IT Enabled Services Rs 59,900 crore.

PTI