The taskforce, set up for the promotion of the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector, has recommended the setting up of a national mission with a budget outlay.
It has also suggested the launch of a “Create in India” campaign on the likes of “Make in India” initiative, with a focus on content creation for India and global markets. In addition, foundational skills should be developed at the school level beyond the launch of globally-recognised UG and PG courses.
The taskforce, which was set up after the Centre’s budget announcement, has now submitted its report to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra said now the Ministry, along with other concerned government departments and Ministries, will evaluate the recommendations, and that draft policies at the national and state level will be key to making India a hub of AVGC.
He added that India’s share in the global AVGC sector is about 1 per cent and there is huge potential to grow India’s share to about 6 to 7 percent. “AVGC is a sunrise sector after the IT industry. We believe there is potential to generate 20 lakh jobs in this sector over the next decade,” Chandra said.
Developing talent ecosystem
In a bid to develop the talent ecosystem, the committee has also suggested leveraging the New Education Policy to develop foundational skills in the sector at the school level and creating awareness about AVGC as a career choice. Other suggestions include launching AVGC-focused globally recognised degrees, standardising admission tests for such courses, enhancing industry participation for skilling, and establishing AVGC accelerators and innovation hubs in academic institutions.
“The industry is looking for skilled manpower as that is the key challenge currently, and various skilling initiatives can help in meeting the talent demand not just from the big cities but also from the tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The committee has proposed offering financial and technical assistance to AVGC entrepreneurs and setting up a fund for the same,” he added.
The committee has recommended leveraging Start Up India for financial and technical assistance, as well as establishing a dedicated production fund for domestic content creation across India to promote Indian culture and heritage globally.
The taskforce was constituted under the chairmanship of the Secretary, Ministry of I&B, with key stakeholders from industry and government. This included the secretaries of MSDE, the Department of Higher Education, MoE, MeITY, and DPIIT. It also included members from the State governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Telangana; heads of education bodies such as the All India Council for Technical Education and the National Council for Educational Research and Training; and representatives of industry bodies such as MESC, FICCI, and CII.
