Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India is transforming from a global “back office” into a “brain office,” with the world now relying on the country’s mind-power rather than just manpower. The shift, he said, reflects India’s growing capabilities in research, innovation, advanced technology and high-value services.
India Shifts From ‘Back Office’ to ‘Brain Office’
Addressing the NDTV World Summit, the Prime Minister highlighted a series of recent achievements that reflect this shift.
He said nearly 70 lakh new jobs have been created in a short span under the Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana. For the middle class, the tax burden has been reduced to zero on an annual income of up to ₹12 lakh, improving living standards while generating employment.
PM Modi noted that India now ranks third globally in research publications. In 2025 alone, approximately 1.5 lakh patents were filed, underscoring the country’s growing potential in research and innovation. About 20 per cent of the world’s design workforce is based in India, with Indian engineers working on highly advanced chip designs, including those at the 2-3 nanometer scale. Academic institutions and students have already designed over 300 types of chips.
Global Capability Centres Drive India’s High-Value Work
The Prime Minister also pointed to the rapid expansion of Global Capability Centres (GCCs) in the country. More than half of the world’s GCCs are now located in India. Earlier, many of these centres primarily handled support services; today, they are engaged in high-value work such as cloud engineering, analytics and product development.
“India’s identity is shifting; we have moved from ‘talent at scale’ to ‘thinking at scale.’ The world, which once relied solely on India’s manpower, now places its trust in India’s mind-power,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi Highlights Self-Reliance and Domestic Manufacturing
He emphasised that every policy and investment decision is guided by the goal of building domestic capabilities and reducing dependence on other nations. Preparing for potential future crises is a key consideration.
Citing an example of self-reliance, the Prime Minister said India had for decades depended on imports for key pharmaceutical raw materials. Under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, domestic production of Penicillin-G has resumed in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, after many years.
The PLI scheme for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) has attracted investments exceeding ₹5,000 crore and led to the launch of nearly 40 projects, helping build a domestic supply chain for essential medicines.
Such policies, PM Modi said, are steadily steering India toward greater self-reliance across critical sectors.
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