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As India solidifies its position as a global innovation hub, the state of Maharashtra has launched a landmark policy designed to establish it as the country’s premier destination for Global Capability Centres (GCCs). The Maharashtra Global Capability Centre Policy-2025 is a strategic initiative aiming to attract 400 new GCCs and generate approximately 4 lakh high-skilled jobs, aligning with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.

This move comes as India’s GCCs are increasingly pivotal in shaping global business strategies, driven by advancements in AI and Machine Learning. Recognising this trend, the new policy addresses key challenges such as rising real estate costs and infrastructure bottlenecks in traditional hubs like Mumbai and Pune.

Yogesh Singh, Partner-Corporate Practice at Trilegal, calls the policy “a timely and forward-looking blueprint for India’s next growth decade.” He notes, “What makes the policy particularly significant is its inclusive geographical design. It deliberately extends the GCC story beyond Mumbai, Pune, and Bengaluru to cities like Nagpur, Nashik, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.” This strategic decentralisation aims to unlock fresh talent pools and foster balanced, technology-driven growth across the state, creating new economic centres.

To achieve its ambitious goals, the government is rolling out a comprehensive package of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives. These include capital and payroll subsidies, stamp duty exemptions, and single-window approvals to ensure ease of doing business. The policy is expected to generate an investment of ₹50,600 crore.

Furthermore, the framework emphasises a sector-specific approach. Singh further highlights sectoral depth of the policy noting, “The policy prioritises industries such as aerospace and defence, life sciences, automotive, renewable energy, logistics, IT/ITES, and textiles, promoting specialised GCC clusters that leverage Maharashtra’s diverse industrial base and research capabilities.”

By fostering these specialised ecosystems and expanding opportunities beyond the metros, Maharashtra is not just offering incentives; it’s building a sustainable and resilient framework for long-term growth.

Besides Maharashtra, the Karnataka government in August announced the launch of KATALYST, a dedicated ease-of-doing business cell to support Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the state. The initiative aligns with Karnataka’s GCC Policy 2024–2029 and aims to streamline new investments, fast-track setup processes and deepen collaboration between GCCs and the broader innovation ecosystem.

Karnataka is targeting the addition of 500 new GCCs by 2029, aiming to create 350,000 jobs and generate US$50 billion in economic output. To sustain its leadership in the tech sector, the state is actively engaging with industry leaders to shape forward-looking strategies and initiatives.

With over 1,800 GCCs generating US$64.6 billion in revenue in 2024—and projections to surpass US$100 billion by 2030—state governments are aggressively rolling out GCC-friendly policies. One thing is clear: the GCC battleground has shifted to the state level.