India's largest employer is to take on 200 new staff in Scotland, First Minister Alex Salmond has announced.

Hero tsc already has seven call centres in Scotland, employing more than 1600 people.

Today, following a meeting with senior figures in the company, Mr Salmond confirmed the firm is to create 200 new jobs, with the posts mainly based at the call centres in Larbert and Kilmarnock.

The jobs announcement comes after the firm was awarded £850,000 of public money to support its plans to expand the Scottish operation.

Hero tsc was awarded the money by Scottish Enterprise under the Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) funding scheme.

Mr Salmond, who is in India to attend the Commonwealth Games, met Sunil Munjal, the chairman of the Hero Group, and Rohit Chanana, the president of Hero Management Services Ltd.

Afterwards he said: "The Scottish Government continues to work hard to attract jobs and investment to Scotland and I am delighted that Hero tsc is expanding operations by creating 200 new jobs.

"This announcement demonstrates the skills and expertise of the workforce in Scotland which will enable Hero tsc to significantly extend its reach across European markets."

Mr Salmond said he had been "hugely impressed" by staff at Hero tsc's Scottish headquarters in Larbert when he visited them earlier this year.

And he added: "These jobs highlight the continued commitment of the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International and Scottish Enterprise to promote Scotland as a fantastic destination to live, work and do business."

Scottish Enterprise chief executive Lena Wilson said: "Hero tsc is already one of the strongest players in Scotland's dynamic call centre industry, and we are heartened by the company's renewed commitment to Scotland - a sign of our ongoing attractiveness to international investors."

And Hero tsc chief executive officer David Turner said: "Thanks to this financial assistance, we look forward to bringing more employment to our sites and continuing to show that Scotland leads the way in providing this type of service excellence."