India Targets 5,000 Global Capability Centres by 2030

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a strategic target to expand India's Global Capability Centre (GCC) ecosystem to 5,000 centers by 2030. Speaking at the CII GCC Business Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Sitharaman stated the goal is realistic, noting that India currently hosts over 2,100 GCCs employing roughly 2.3 million professionals. She highlighted a rapid acceleration in growth, noting that while one new center was established weekly in 2024, that rate has increased to one per day.

To attract Fortune Global 2000 companies, the government introduced measures in the Union Budget 2026-27, including a Unified Safe Harbour Regime that raises the transfer pricing threshold from ₹300 crore to ₹2,000 crore. Furthermore, GIFT City provides a 20-year tax holiday for financial services operations. The ecosystem is shifting from traditional back-office support toward high-value innovation, with more than half of new centers adopting an AI-first approach. To sustain this, the government is promoting expansion into Tier 2 cities such as Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur to reduce real estate costs and talent shortages in major hubs.

Government officials detailed a comprehensive talent pipeline involving career lounges, internship schemes, and apprenticeship programs. This strategy emphasizes closer collaboration between industry, academia, and government to ensure India remains a global leader in high-end research and design, aligning with the Viksit Bharat vision.