Why in news? The task force has proposed a national AVGC-Extended Reality Mission with a budget outlay to be created for the integrated promotion and growth of the gaming, animation and VFX sector.

Highlights:

• A “Create in India” campaign with an exclusive focus on content creation, an international platform for animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC)
• Draft national and State policies for the promotion of the presented report to Information & Broadcasting (I&B)
• Brainstorming group : Secretaries of the associated Union Ministries, including those of Skill Development, Education, Electronics and Information Technology, besides several prominent faces of the sector.

Aim:

• To attract foreign direct investment, co-production treaties and innovation in collaboration with international counterparts, national and regional centres of excellence for skill development
• Leveraging the National Education Policy to develop creative thinking at school level.
• There is a need for promotion of local children’s channels for raising awareness of the rich culture and history of India among children and youth.
• It also suggested the establishment of a framework to ensure protection of child rights in the digital world.

Animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) in Education

• The Ministry of Education may advise NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) to create books focusing on subjects relevant to AVGC
• UGC-recognised curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees has also been suggested in the report.
• The task force has proposed standardisation of admission tests for AVGC-related courses.

Animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) in Industries

• With an eye on the demand for 20 lakh skilled professionals in the AVGC sector , need to augment skilling initiatives and enhance industry participation for training purposes and to ensure employment opportunities
• MOU may be signed between India and other developed global AVGC markets the S., Japan, South Korea and Germany for providing internships (six months to a year) to Indian AVGC professionals
• Emphasised skilling and industry outreach for youth in tier-2 and 3 towns and villages, and special incentives for women entrepreneurs in the sector

Major Recommendations:

• The report has also recommended establishment of AVGC accelerators and innovation hubs in academic institutions
• Democratising AVGC technologies by promoting subscription-based pricing models for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), start-ups and institutions
• Indigenous technology development through incentive schemes and Intellectual Property (IP) creation
• Setting up a dedicated production fund for domestic content creation from across India to promote the country’s culture and heritage globally.

Data:

• India today contributes about $2.5-3 billion of the estimated $260-275 billion worldwide AVGC market.
• According to industry experts, the Indian market that currently employs about 1.85 lakh AVGC professionals, can witness a growth of 14-16% in the next decade.