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 Thursday.

The US has decided to reduce the quota of H1B visas from 195,000 to 65,000 this year. "We are trying to pursue the matter," Information Technology Minister Arun Shourie said in reply to supplementaries during the Question Hour.

To another question he said there was "backlash" against India in the US and the UK, because major firms of these countries were farming out jobs to Indian call centres.

On the development in the 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 at Montreal.