National Skills Registry - India

For the past 4 years, I've worked remotely for an employer based in India (it's been a great experience). I'm on the IT Mailing List, so I often receive emails pertaining directly to Indian employees. On 10/4, a disturbing email came across the wire from the VP of HR:

"National Skills Registry (NSR) is a NASSCOM initiative to have a robust and credible information repository of all employees working in the IT & ITES industry. This develops a trusted and permanent fact sheet of information about each professional along-with background check reports as and when required. This is a security best practice for the industry and assures identity security & industry acceptance of honest professionals. This is used by the industry and its clients as a credible source of information about registered professionals who are employed by them or put on client assignments.

As [a Company] employee you will need to register with NSR prior to enrolling and then provide your credentials and bio-metrics at a scheduled enrolment desk that will be arranged at the office premises. We will follow up this communication when we schedule registration and enrolment campaigns soon.

Please keep in mind that your enrolment with NSR is not pertinent to [the Company] exclusively, this is a syndicated ID that will be linked to your professional profile indefinitely. Thus you will be required to bear the cost of this enrolment yourself. A sum of Rs.337 will be deducted from your salary in the month following your enrolment with NSR, again we will communicate in advance when this will occur."

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad if it were a voluntary registry, but the language used is that employees "will need to register" (at their own expense).

References: http://www.nasscom.in/initiatives/2202 https://www.nationalskillsregistry.com/