India Needs Streamlined Policies to Become Global Capability Centre Hub: Economic Affairs Secretary

India must streamline its national-level policies to strengthen its position as a global hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), said Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur on Monday.

Speaking at an industry event in the capital, Thakur stressed the need for a coordinated policy approach, drawing from the success of states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana — which currently host the highest concentration of GCCs in India.

“These states have adopted progressive and targeted policies to attract multinational corporations to set up offshore capability centres. We must deliberate on these models and see if similar strategies can be scaled up at the national level,” she stated.

India is currently home to over 1,800 GCCs, which serve as offshore extensions of multinational corporations to manage key business processes, innovation, analytics, IT operations, and customer service. These centres have become a cornerstone of India’s digital and service economy, employing over 1.5 million professionals and contributing significantly to the country’s global IT leadership.

Experts believe that with a unified national framework — including simplified compliance norms, robust infrastructure, talent development initiatives, and industry-specific incentives — India could emerge as the undisputed global destination for setting up GCCs.

Thakur also noted that as GCCs evolve into innovation and transformation hubs, India needs to align its regulatory environment to support high-value work and foster global R&D leadership.

Industry stakeholders welcomed the government’s proactive approach and highlighted the need for seamless inter-state coordination, ease of doing business, and stronger public-private partnerships to fuel the next phase of GCC expansion.

The government is expected to hold further consultations with industry leaders and state representatives to work on a national policy framework that supports GCC growth across the country.