"One must be very scrupulous with the visas," Minister for Communications and Information Technology Arun Shourie told reporters here.

"The IT ministry along with the National Association of Software and Service Companies (India's premier IT lobby) will jointly provide an escort service to every software professional who is going out to such countries as Germany and the Netherlands," Shourie said.

"Our ministry will work with the industry on what the visa requirements are in different countries and tell them to obey scrupulously," he said. "India's IT is a house set on a hill. So many people would want to get rid of us."

A week ago authorities in the Netherlands and in London arrested several employees of Bombay-based information technology firm, I-flex on alleged visa irregularities.

India said the arrests were unwarranted and smacked of "economic protectionism."

Earlier in March Malaysian authorities arrested 270 Indian software engineers over alleged visa irregularities, while last year top officials of Polaris Software India Ltd. were detained in Indonesia.

The incidents sparked outrage in India and the foreign ministry took up the cases. The Malaysian acting prime minister personally apologised for the incident.

"There are visa requirements and everything should be in perfect order. In Malaysia the police action was triggered by false information," Shourie said.

Shourie said India's software industry was best in the world but cheap manpower being exported outside for software development and research was hurting the employment of other nations.

"The work that we do impacts on the jobs elsewhere just as imports from other countries will cut on jobs here. So, if Chinese batteries come (to India) we start shouting (to) put an embargo, put anti-dumping duty.

"When we want to take advantage of free trade, we have to be for free trade in all services and commodities. We have to be strong and competitive so that everybody will listen to us," Shourie said.

Shourie said the Iraq war could provide opportunities for Indian software companies.

"I think we should see opportunities in these difficult times. If there is a recession worldwide, there will be lesser demand for these services. But the more recessionary the conditions in the West, more western firms will have to go for cost-cutting measures.

"That is where they will give work to countries like India," he said.

SPACE.WIRE