"Integration is a continuous process which begins at the time of hiring/acquisition and continues in various ways through the employees career," Raja said, with a plethora of assimilation programmes tailor-made to each category of employee, pertaining to sales, consulting and technology.

Rejecting suggestions that local hiring was in response to the recent outcry against outsourcing or a senate committee inquiry about the use of H1-B visas, Raja said: "No, Wipro has always been committed towards diversity and will continue in its drive to encourage diversity in the organisation - be it ethnic or gender based diversity."

In fact, Raja considered hiring local talent advantageous as "local talent/employees are better culturally assimilated to the local environment with a stronger market knowledge and local domain competence".

The local hiring drive in the US "is consistent with our desire to be a global organisation for which a global workforce is key", he added.