UP GCC Policy 2024: Attracting Global Capability Centres

Global Capability Centres — the in-house tech, R&D, engineering, and back-office units that multinational companies set up in India rather than outsourcing to a third party — have become one of the fastest-growing categories of investment in the country. Cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune have dominated this space for years. UP’s GCC Policy 2024 is the state’s attempt to position itself as a credible alternative location for this kind of investment, particularly around the NCR region and other growing tech hubs within the state.

What makes a GCC different from a typical manufacturing investment

A GCC is fundamentally different from the industrial or manufacturing projects most state incentive policies are built around. It’s usually an office-based operation — software development, data analytics, engineering design, finance and accounting shared services, or R&D — with the main cost drivers being talent, office space, and connectivity rather than land, machinery, or utilities. So a policy aimed at GCCs typically looks different from a typical capital-subsidy-driven industrial policy, leaning more toward incentives tied to employment generation, office space costs, and possibly skilling or talent-development support.

Who this policy is realistically for

This policy is generally targeted at larger multinational or Indian corporations setting up a dedicated in-house centre, rather than smaller businesses or IT service providers taking on outsourced work for clients. If you’re a mid-sized IT or ITES company, you may find some overlap with the state’s broader IT and startup incentive schemes, but the GCC policy specifically is built around the captive-centre model of large companies.

What to expect on incentives

Details here are still less standardized than some of UP’s longer-running industrial policies, since GCC-specific policies are relatively new across Indian states. Expect the incentive structure to include some combination of stamp duty relief on office space, employment-linked incentives, and possibly support for infrastructure or connectivity costs — but treat any number you hear informally as unconfirmed until checked against the current policy text, since this is an evolving area.

Location still matters

Even with a state-level policy in place, where within UP you set up matters — NCR districts, Lucknow, and other IT-oriented hubs are likely to have different infrastructure readiness and possibly different incentive weighting than smaller towns. It’s worth factoring this into your site selection alongside the policy incentives themselves.

If you’re evaluating UP as a location for a GCC or similar captive operation and want a clearer read on what the current policy actually offers, message us on WhatsApp — we can help you think through eligibility and next steps.