Madhya Pradesh Joins the GCC Race, But Isn’t Playing the Same Game
While cities like Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune have long been GCC magnets, Madhya Pradesh has now jumped into the fray with its ambitious GCC policy. The newly launched framework aims to position the state as a serious contender among tier-2 cities, offering talent, infrastructure, and generous incentives to attract companies looking to set up tech and operations hubs. Madhya Pradesh has a strong presence in IT/ITeS, automobile, geographic information system (GIS), pharmaceutical, and textile industries. For these industries to grow faster, the state intends to attract sector-specific GCCs to support specific industries. With this policy, the state aims to attract more than 50 GCCs, targeting the employment of over 37,000 direct employees. In an exclusive conversation with AIM, Sanjay Dubey, additional chief secretary ,the government of Madhya Pradesh, said, “We are not competing with Bengaluru, Pune or Noida. We know they have a first-mover advantage and established ecosystems. But among tier-2 cities, we want to be the best in terms of ease of living, ease of doing business, infrastructure, and most importantly, talent.” The state is positioning Indore and Bhopal as core hubs, with ready spaces and policies designed to fast-track the setting up of GCCs. Dubey clarified the government’s strategic approach to attracting GCCs, emphasising a multi-sectoral focus and a realistic assessment of its positioning. “We will definitely be focusing on finances and on multi-sectoral GCCs, which are looking not only for a particular kind of operation, but are also into multiple domains,” Dubey said. The state is sharply focused on leading the pack among tier-2 cities, which includes being best-in-class across several parameters. In fact, with IT/ITeS exports tripling in the past three years, the state has witnessed an impressive average growth rate of 43%. The presence of over 5 SEZs, 15+ IT parks, and 150 ESDM units, coupled with more than 2 lakh skilled IT/ITeS professionals, creates a conducive environment for IT businesses. The growth is not limited to specific regions. However, cities like Indore, Bhopal, and Jabalpur are emerging as major IT hubs, housing numerous IT/ITeS units, including BPO/BPMs. Talent Is the Backbone, and  MP Is Betting on It The state’s strong emphasis on education, with about 300 engineering colleges producing well over 50,000 tech graduates annually ensures a steady supply of skilled talent. Additionally, the booming automobile and pharmaceutical sectors necessitate specific GCCs to address their evolving technological needs. The real hook, as Dubey mentioned, is talent. With its strong base of institutes like IIT Indore and IIITs in Gwalior and Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh is leaning on its youth. “There is a readiness among our talent to come back. Many students from here are already working in Bengaluru or Pune. Now we want them to return,” he stated. To ensure students are job-ready, the government is partnering with global tech companies like Meta, Amazon Web Services, Barclays, and L&T Mindtree to offer AI and deep-tech skills courses. “Barclays is helping with fintech, Meta with AI-enabled services, and CA Unity with XR and gaming. We’ve also tied up with institutions like IIT Delhi to cover the spectrum—from ITI to engineering colleges,” Dubey explained. He also revealed that instead of waiting for companies to scout and set up their own spaces, the state is working with developers to offer plug-and-play infrastructure. Several developers are already in advanced talks. “GCCs don’t come on their own. They want developers to offer ready, standardised spaces. We’ve facilitated that, and we’ll soon see announcements of new centres in Indore and Bhopal.” Dubey’s ultimate goal is: “Out of the 2400 GCCs expected in India over the next few years, around 1800 are already in India. My vision is for Madhya Pradesh to get the maximum out of the remaining 600.” Building Centres of Excellence Recognising the growing demand for deep-tech capabilities, the state is setting up centres of excellence (CoEs) across sectors. MP is actively building a robust ecosystem for deep-tech innovation through the establishment of multiple CoEs. These include a Deep AgriTech CoE at IIT Indore, developed in collaboration with CDAC, ICAR, and MIT, which aims at advancing agricultural technologies. A dedicated drone technology CoE is being set up in partnership with IISER and the Drone Federation of India, focusing on manufacturing, navigation, and image analysis capabilities. The state is also in the process of launching a semiconductor CoE to strengthen its presence in the electronics and chip design space. Additionally, an AVGC-XR (animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality) CoE is operational at the Global Skill Park in Bhopal, supporting next-generation media technologies and skill development. To ensure these initiatives move fast and remain nimble, the state is forming Section 8 companies to run the CoEs, keeping them free from bureaucratic delays. “These CoEs will be run by professionals from industry and academia, not government officials. We are borrowing from what worked in other states, and learning from what didn’t,” he added. Space Tech Policy on the Horizon Dubey revealed that MP is preparing to roll out a Space Tech Policy by August 2025. The policy will focus on the state’s strong areas, like academic infrastructure and ready talent. He further said that IIT Indore is offering BTech, MTech, and PhD in spacetech, and the government is actively engaging with ISRO-linked startups and industry stakeholders regarding the Space Tech Policy. The state aims to align this with the central government’s broader space policy and fill gaps that others may not have addressed.
The state is also preparing to roll out a Space Tech Policy by August 2025.
The state is also preparing to roll out a Space Tech Policy by August 2025.
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Shalini is a senior tech journalist, exploring the latest advancements in AI. When she's not reporting on the latest innovations, you can find her immersed in her next literary adventure.