NDTV World Summit: PM Modi Says India Is Moving From Workforce To Intellectual Power

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India was moving beyond its traditional role as a global back-office destination, with increasing contributions to research, chip design and advanced technology.

Addressing the NDTV World Summit, the Prime Minister highlighted progress in employment, scientific research and manufacturing. He said nearly 70 lakh jobs had been created in a short period under the Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana. He further pointed to tax relief for individuals earning up to ₹12 lakh annually.

The Prime Minister said India ranked third globally in research publications, with approximately 1.5 lakh patents filed in 2025. He added that Indian professionals accounted for around 20 per cent of the world’s design workforce, while academic institutions and students had designed more than 300 types of chips.

Highlighting the expansion of Global Capability Centres (GCCs), PM Modi said India hosted more than half of such centres worldwide. Their operations have increasingly shifted towards specialised activities, including cloud engineering, analytics and product development, beyond traditional support services.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of reducing dependence on imported goods by strengthening domestic manufacturing, particularly in critical sectors.

Citing the pharmaceutical industry, PM Modi said Penicillin-G production had resumed in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, after years of reliance on imports. The development came under the government’s Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

PM Modi said the PLI programme for active pharmaceutical ingredients had attracted investments exceeding ₹5,000 crore and supported nearly 40 projects, helping develop domestic supply chains for essential medicines. He further said these initiatives formed part of India’s wider effort to build technological expertise, strengthen manufacturing and achieve greater self-reliance.

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