India is rapidly emerging as a global hub for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), with Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune leading the way. Uttar Pradesh is now following suit in aspirational fervor to redefine the state’s economic destiny.
India’s northern power center, Uttar Pradesh (UP), is strategically shifting to become India’s top location for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), high-value innovation centers of multinational corporations. In April 2025, the UP Cabinet announced the Global Capability Centres (GCC) Policy 2024, a concerted effort to attract world-class talent, capital, and global business services
The UP GCC policy also introduces a hub-and-spoke model to distribute investments across the state. It identifies four distinct types of GCCs to cater to varying scales and business requirements:
Global hubs: Fully integrated centers with end-to-end ownership of operations, functioning as strategic extensions of global headquarters.
Satellite offices: Regional support centers aligned with broader national or global business objectives.
Outsource centers: Facilities run by local partners, responsible for delivering specific business functions.
Cluster/outpost offices: Smaller units with limited staffing, designed to support remote work and talent retention in specific geographies.
Categories of GCCs
To connect incentives with investment size and their effect, the UP GCC Policy 2024 categorizes under-construction projects into two categories, namely Level-1 GCCs and Advanced GCCs-based on investment size and employment generation.
Level-1 GCCs are mandated to invest at least INR 200 million (US$2.3 million) or generate at least 200 employees in priority districts such as Gautam Buddha Nagar or Ghaziabad. Elsewhere, the thresholds are marginally lower to INR 150 million (US$1.7 million) or 100 employees.
The high-end GCCs, to be utilized for larger operations, will need more investment. In Gautam Buddha Nagar or Ghaziabad, firms have to invest a minimum of INR 750 million (US$8.6 million) or hire 500 employees. In the other districts, the minimum investment is INR 500 million (US$5.7 million) and 300 employees.
Structural & Strategic Strengths
Talent pool: UP produces over 1.3 million graduates annually, with a youth employability rate of approximately 74% in the 22–25 age group
Education infrastructure: The state has 72 universities, over 8,300 higher education institutions, and more than 3,000 ITIs.
Existing tech ecosystem: Noida already houses GCCs of Microsoft, Samsung, MAQ Software, TCS, Infosys, and HCL.
Physical infrastructure: The state boasts 40+ IT parks, 25 Special Economic Zones (SEZs), a semiconductor park near Jewar, and a new AI City coming up in Lucknow.
Goals & Ambitions
The State plans to:
Recruit 1,000+ new GCCs within the next 4-5 years
Provide 500,000 direct job opportunities across industries like IT, analytics, HR, finance, and customer service
Create around 200,000-250,000 positions.
The UP policy provides a robust mix of fiscal and non-fiscal support:
Fiscal Incentives
Subsidized land: The policy offers 30-50% subsidies on land allocations, and greater subsidies in Bundelkhand/Purvanchal
Land Exemptions: GCCs can avail stamp duty exemption and reimbursement on office and land transactions
Capital grants: Eligible for ₹25 crore grants for seven years for upgraded FCCs
OPEX reimbursements: GCCs will receive 20% reimbursement on lease, cloud, power, bandwidth, with caps ranging from ₹40-80 crore limit for five years
Subsidy on payroll: The state will provide ₹1.2 lakh per employee per year (₹1.8 lakh for UP domiciled SC/ST women) up to ₹20 crore per year for 3 years
EPF contributions: Employers will receive 100% reimbursement of EPF contributions for eligible employees, up to ₹1 crore annually for three years.
Helping in fresher hiring: Companies hiring at least 30 graduates from UP universities per year will receive ₹20,000 per recruit, for up to five years.
Internships & Skilling: The policy offers ₹50,000 per employee for skill development training and ₹5,000 per month for each intern, within defined caps.
R&D, patents & innovation: The state will provide up to ₹2 crore annually for proof-of-concept projects and up to ₹10 lakh per international patent filing.
Non-Fiscal Support
Allowed to operate 24×7 with flexibility and ease in labor regulation checks.
Streamlined regulatory clearances and single-window speed-clearing mechanisms
Exclusively advisory support through a Technical Support Group of industry pioneers
Academic direct links and Centers of Excellence, to access talent
In-Depth Impact on the Economy & Beyond
The policy promises to generate 200,000+ jobs in the first phase itself
Cities like Noida, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, and Prayagraj are being promoted as next-generation innovation centers
The presence of giants such as Microsoft (10,000 seats) and MAQ (3,000 seats) in Noida is an indication of high investor confidence
Benefits to Professionals & Businesses
MNCs: A desirable place for the establishment of GCCs, especially mid-size to high-technology centers, because of large-scale financial incentives and infrastructure
Local economy: Anticipated jobs shift and urbanization of principal and secondary cities
Talent & startups: More industry-university connections, more demand for experts, and more R&D activity
Regional balance: Encourages decentralization, enabling Tier II/III city growth beyond the NCR
Conclusion
Uttar Pradesh’s visionary GCC Policy 2024 is a policy of strategic intent: this is not just about saving costs-this is a roadmap to taking UP to be a high-value services, innovation, and R&D hub. Backed by strong government support, rich talent pools, and mapped infrastructure, UP is unlocking the code to win the sustainable global hubs. India’s next GCC capital could very well be in UP’s next-gen cities-not just the metros.
