India job protection shock horror proposal

(By Anthony Miller – Wednesday 12th August 2009 8:00am). OK, then, perhaps I overbaked the headline. But many will appreciate the delicious irony of the story in today’s FT that India is proposing to restrict senior posts in the telecoms industry to resident Indians. In a statement vaguely in the 'Reds under the Bed' vein, a communications and IT ministry official suggested, “It doesn’t make any sense for a chief operating officer or a chief executive officer, who takes on such a senior position, to compromise security.” Strangely, India’s biggest mobile operator, Bharti, was not amused. Personally, I think our trade minister, Lord Higheverythingelse, should intervene on behalf of disadvantaged British telco executives.