Delhi draft IT policy proposes dedicated innovation, tech districts, financial incentives

The policy proposes to train young people in digital skills and the digitisation of all notified government services

The Delhi government’s draft Information Technology Policy 2026-2031 proposes more than 200 Global Capability Centres (GCCs), two dedicated innovation and technology districts, financial incentives for technology companies, training for 500,000 to 600,000 young people in digital skills, and the digitisation of all notified government services.

The policy proposes Innovation and Technology Districts, with priority areas including South Delhi, Dwarka and East Delhi.

The Delhi government’s Information Technology Department has prepared the draft policy, a copy of which HT has seen, to position the national capital as a major destination for IT investments, startups and emerging technology businesses, while strengthening cybersecurity.

The policy proposes setting up Innovation and Technology Districts, with priority areas including South Delhi, Dwarka and East Delhi. These districts are envisaged as hubs offering office space, laboratories, co-working facilities and infrastructure for startups and technology companies. At least two such districts are proposed to be notified, with one becoming operational during the policy period, according to the proposal.

To attract investments, the government has proposed a single-window clearance mechanism with a target of processing standard approvals within 30 days. A dedicated GCC Facilitation Cell would serve as a single point of contact for companies seeking to establish operations in Delhi, the draft says.

The proposed incentives include a 10% rebate on electricity tariffs for eligible IT and IT-enabled services companies and GCCs, and reimbursement of internet expenses of up to ₹5 lakh annually for three years. GCCs creating more than 500 jobs could receive an employment incentive of ₹25,000 per employee annually for three years.

The draft also proposes a diversity incentive of ₹5,000 per month per eligible woman, Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe, or person with disability employee for five years. Other measures include training reimbursements, artificial intelligence computing credits and support for cybersecurity certifications.

The government has set a target of training young people in digital skills, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity and data analytics, by 2031. It also aims to increase women’s representation in the technology workforce to 40%.

On governance, the draft envisages bringing 100% of notified government services online through a unified portal, named myDelhi, and achieving complete adoption of e-office and digital workflow systems across departments.

A Delhi State Data Centre is proposed to be operational by 2027, alongside a 24x7 cybersecurity monitoring centre. The policy also envisages using artificial intelligence and predictive analytics for traffic management, pollution monitoring, public health forecasting and fraud detection.

The draft proposes four dedicated funds, with annual allocations of ₹5 crore each for GCC facilitation, emerging technology and skills development, and ₹10 crore for GovTech innovation, subject to budgetary allocation and Finance Department concurrence.

The policy will be valid for five years from the date of its gazette notification or until a successor policy is notified. A mid-term review is proposed for 2028.