India is no longer just the world's back office but its "brain office" too, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday at the NDTV World Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
"The world that once relied on India's brainpower now trusts India's mindpower as well," he said, according to NDTV. "As a result, we are now working with the world not just as a back office but also as a brain office."
"Back office" has long described India's role in outsourced work for foreign companies, such as call centres and data processing.
A call for a fairer world order
Modi said the global order was changing, but international institutions, including the United Nations, were struggling to keep pace. Trade, technology and sea routes were increasingly "being weaponised", he said.
Citing the ancient statesman Chanakya, he spoke of matsya nyaya, the "law of the fish", in which the absence of order lets the strong prey on the weak. The world needs a system that stops this from happening, he said, according to Asianet Newsable.
"The changing world order calls for stronger global institutions, a greater voice for the Global South, and international cooperation that stands firm in times of crisis," he said.
India's role
Modi offered India as an example of that kind of cooperation. He said that during the Covid-19 pandemic India sent vaccines to every country in need and medicines to more than 100 countries. India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047, he said, was "also a guarantee for a better world".
He said India was among the leading nations for digital innovation and startups, and remained the world's fastest-growing major economy.
Building capability at home
Every government policy and investment decision, Modi said, weighs three questions: which capabilities to build in India, where to reduce dependence on other countries, and how to prepare for future crises. Some of these investments take years to pay off, he said, but matter greatly for the country's future.
As an example, he pointed to pharmaceuticals. India is known as a major maker of finished medicines but, until a few years ago, relied heavily on imported raw materials. That, he said, is now changing.