New Delhi, Nov. 16 -- The government is planning to upgrade human resource (HR) standards in India's services sector, including how skills are certified and how employees are trained, to bring the country's HR practices closer to global norms, and make its professionals internationally competitive.

The move is closely tied to India's ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, where mobility of workers has emerged as a central issue, two people aware of the matter said on the condition of anonymity.

The government believes that globally-aligned standards will help Indian professionals move more easily across borders as part of future trade deals. Mobility has become a sensitive chapter, with areas such as skill recognition, workpla...