J&K can become a GCC hub over next decade, says LG Sinha

Identifies six advantages, including lower costs, financial support, returning talent and opportunities in niche sectors

JAMMU, October 10: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has expressed confidence that Global Capability Centres (GCCs) can become a key part of Jammu & Kashmir’s industrial ecosystem over the next decade, citing the region’s skilled youth, improving infrastructure, investor incentives and emerging innovation ecosystem.

Addressing the valedictory session of the J&K Global Capability Centre Summit 2026, Sinha said Jammu & Kashmir was “open and ready” to host GCCs and urged industry leaders and institutions to work towards making the region a preferred destination for multinational companies seeking talent, innovation and operational capabilities.

India currently hosts more than 2,100 GCCs employing over 1.9 million professionals and contributing substantially to exports, Sinha said. He noted that these centres were increasingly expanding beyond metropolitan areas into Tier-II and Tier-III cities, creating opportunities for regions with emerging talent pools.

Sinha said Jammu & Kashmir needed to strengthen its institutions, infrastructure and innovation ecosystem to benefit from this trend. He also called for a shift from viewing GCCs primarily as cost-saving operations to developing centres of excellence and global innovation.

The Lieutenant Governor identified six advantages for attracting GCC investments: financial support, lower operating costs, special incentives for pioneering multinational investors, the return of local talent, first-mover advantages for early entrants, and opportunities in specialised sectors such as agri-tech, tourism-tech and handicraft digitisation.

He said improvements in connectivity and infrastructure, along with industrial investments and the expansion of the startup ecosystem, were creating new opportunities in the region.

Citing official figures, Sinha said the number of startups in Jammu & Kashmir had increased from 69 in 2020 to 1,305, representing growth of more than 1,800 per cent. He said graduates from institutions such as IIM Jammu, IIT Jammu and NIT Srinagar could contribute to building a workforce for the sector.

Outlining a four-pillar roadmap for the next five years, he emphasised talent development through industry-academia partnerships, building investor confidence through credible implementation, leveraging the region’s distinctive advantages and promoting inclusive growth through a hub-and-spoke development model.

Drawing a parallel with the Chenab Rail Bridge, Sinha said the region’s development ambitions required collaboration between global expertise, capital and technology and the talent and aspirations of local youth.

He said the summit had laid the foundation for positioning Jammu & Kashmir as a destination for GCCs and expressed confidence that the sector could become an integral part of its industrial ecosystem over the next decade.

The two-day summit was organised with the participation of IIM Jammu, NASSCOM, partner institutions and the administration.

Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, NIIT Chairman Rajendra Singh Pawar, IIM Jammu Director B.S. Sahay, Labour and Employment Department Secretary Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, IIM Jammu Dean of Faculty and Research Jabir Ali, Dean Academics Nitin Upadhyay, and CEO of CITaG at IIM Jammu Sandeep Ananthanarayanan attended the valedictory session, along with industry representatives, policymakers, officials, faculty members and students.