Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Anurag Thakur on Wednesday announced a partnership between his Ministry and Amazon India in the field of media, entertainment and public awareness.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that India being an ancient civilization offers millions of stories which are yet to be told. The gamut of stories transcends time and covers a vast domain from spirituality to software, traditions to trends, folklore to festivals and from rural India to rising India.

He said recently Indian content has experienced success at the international fora, and Indian actors have achieved high popularity among foreign audiences.

Thakur delved into the steps taken by the Ministry to create a conducive atmosphere for the entertainment industry in India and said that the government recognises the strengths as well as the opportunities of the Indian entertainment industry, especially new platforms such as OTTs.

The Ministry has recognised audio visual services as a Champion Services Sector and recently brought out the self-regulatory framework of OTT content regulation.

Thakur said that the partnership with Amazon India is unique on a number of counts and the Letter of Engagement spans across various aspects of the creative industry.

The partnership would help strengthen industry-academia linkages through provisions for scholarships, internships, masterclasses, and other opportunities for students at Film and Television Institute of India and Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute of India.

The initiative would help to reduce the period of struggle for the talented artists coming out of prestigious film institutes of India, he added.

The Minister also voiced his concern for quality of content on OTT platforms saying OTT platforms have the responsibility of ensuring that their platforms do not propagate vulgarity and abuse camouflaged as creative expressions. OTT must reflect the collective conscience of the country, he said.

Guest of Honour for the event, actor Varun Dhawan spoke about the depths being reached by streaming services and said Indian cinema by way of streaming is now reaching a world stage and streaming services have today given Indian content a reach hitherto unimaginable. Streaming services act as a leveler and new actors and creators, talent that had so far remained on sidelines, can now connect with audiences worldwide.”

Secretary, Ministry of I&B Apoorva Chandra said that the partnership between the Ministry and Amazon would lead to opportunities for Indian talent at the national and international level.