Industry leaders are in favour of a comprehensive policy framework to attract multinational corporations to set up Global Capability Centres (GCCs). While Calcutta offers a strong talent base and cost advantages, a structured incentive regime is essential to compete with other states aggressively courting such investments.
States including Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have already introduced dedicated GCC policies offering incentives such as payroll subsidies, rental caps, operational cost support, capital subsidies and sustainability-linked benefits to attract high-value investments and generate well-paying jobs.
The need for a focused policy framework was among the panel discussions at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) session on positioning Calcutta as eastern India’s gateway for GCC investments on Monday.
“Specifically focusing on GCCs, we need to have a well-established framework,” said Rajaram Somani, head of GCC at Indorama Ventures. He added that companies require plug-and-play infrastructure to enable faster project execution and suggested that a GCC policy could be aligned with the state’s data centre policy amid rising adoption of artificial intelligence technologies.
“Calcutta must define its own unique value proposition; it does not need to replicate models such as Pune or Bengaluru. A competitive yet collaborative ecosystem should be fostered to drive sustainable growth and innovation in the city,” said Sameek Roychoudhuri, senior vice-president and head of global risk analytics at HSBC.
Highlighting the city’s sectoral strengths, Anirvan Mukherjee, partner at NMDCon, said Calcutta has distinct advantages in healthcare and engineering and is witnessing growing investment in manufacturing. Leveraging these strengths through cross-sector collaboration could help the city achieve sustained and inclusive growth, he said.
Ratnadeep Banerjee, site head, Asia Software R&D at Lexmark International (India) Pvt Ltd, emphasised the importance of talent strategy, noting that organisations should focus on hiring for value rather than scale while investing in employee development to improve retention.
Recha Paliwal, co-founder of VisionSync, said Calcutta’s relatively low operating costs and strong academic ecosystem make it conducive for scaling operations. She added that robust digital connectivity and an expanding talent corridor strengthen the city’s case as an emerging GCC destination.
Separately, CII announced its new office-bearers for the West Bengal State Council for 2026–27. Rupak Barua, managing director and chief executive officer of Woodlands Hospital, has been elected chairman, while Prithish Chowdhary, deputy managing director of Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd, will serve as vice-chairman.
