I&B Ministry forms task force to promote animation, VFX sector in India

In a bid to promote the animation, visual effects, gaming and comic (AVGC) sector in India, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Friday constituted a task force, which will recommend a national curriculum framework for higher studies in these segments.

India has the potential to capture five per cent ( USD 40 billion) of the global market share by 2025, with an annual growth of around 25-30 per cent and creating over 1,60,000 jobs annually, the ministry said.

The AVGC promotion task force for bringing out graduate, postgraduate and doctoral courses will be headed by the secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and will have secretaries of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Department of Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.

It will also include governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana, heads of education bodies such as All India Council of Technical Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training, and representatives of industry bodies - Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and Confederation of Indian Industry.

The creation of an AVGC promotion task force with participation of the Government of India, state governments and key industry players will provide focused thrust for the growth of the sector by driving institutional efforts to guide policies, establish standards for AVGC education in India, actively collaborate with industry and international AVGC institutes, and enhance the global positioning of the Indian AVGC industry, the ministry said.

The task force will submit its first action plan within 90 days and will also be responsible for framing a national AVGC policy.

It will facilitate initiatives to impart skills in collaboration with academic institutions, vocational training centres, boost employment opportunities, and facilitate promotion and market development activities to extend global reach of Indian AVGC Industry.

It will also enhance exports and recommend incentives to attract foreign direct investments in the AVGC sector.

The announcement to set up this task force was made in the Union Budget 2022-23 to recommend ways to realise and build domestic capacity to serve Indian markets and the global demand.