The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday organized the First National Workshop and Consultation on draft policies for AVGC — Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comics–Extended Reality.

The Consultation was attended by Government bodies, both from the Central and State levels, related to AVGC, along with industry associations and industry leaders from the sector.

Inaugurating the event at Vigyan Bhavan, I&B Secretary and Chairman AVGC Taskforce Apurva Chandra said the AVGC sector has witnessed an unprecedented growth in recent times and is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decade.

Underlining the scope of the industry in future, Chandra said that AVGC is today in a place where the Indian IT sector was in the 2000s. The IT sector has grown to become a substantial contributor in the world and the same potential resides in the AVGC sector, he said.

He said that major movies in Hollywood today involve skill and manpower from India. There is a need for stakeholders to work together to ensure provision of the right kind of skilling infrastructure to attract talent in this sector.

Chandra spoke about the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen the AVGC sector in India and emphasised that States need to put in their best efforts to benefit from the growth of the AVGC sector.

Highlighting the role of States in fulfilling the AVGC dream of the country, he said the States can magnify efforts and mobilize resources necessary to promote the sector.

The Secretary stressed on creation of Regional Centers for Excellence and noted the steps taken by Karnataka in this direction with a number of startups already part of its Center. He said there were multiple enablers of the AVGC sector, with Education and Skilling being among the sector’s core pillars.

The Secretary highlighted that it is imperative to give the right kind of exposure to children at the right age, so that they have an opportunity to hone their creative skills and make a career in this sector, for which the draft policy lays equal emphasis on skilling and education.

Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), explained the need for facilitating future-ready skilling in the sector for making India a go-to hub in the AVGC space.

He highlighted the significance of establishing robust physical infrastructure that would aid in the learning and development of students. The MSDE has identified that skilling initiatives will be critical to the growth of the AVGC sector and will provide the best skilling ecosystem.