Based on recommendations of various industry stakeholders as well as inter-ministerial consultations, the task force on Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC), headed by Apurva Chandra, secretary, ministry of information and broadcasting, has suggested that two sets of policies need to be formulated. One needs to be a Central-level policy and another should act as a model policy for states to follow.
The task force has submitted its report to I&B and sports minister Anurag Singh Thakur.
“The AVGC sector is on a growth path. Globally, the industry is valued at $350 billion. Of this, animation is valued at $170 billion and gaming is valued at $200 billion. India accounts for just 1% of the global market, but the rate of growth is 16-17%,” Chandra said, adding that the government will now have to take the draft frameworks to create a policy.
The AVGC task force, in its report on Draft National Policy, has stated that policy should focus on developing talent by offering courses of international standards in Indian educational institutions to aid in the creation of world-class animators, illustrators, CG artists, and game developers, among others. Also, quality education should be provided by setting up a National Centre of Excellence for AVGC-XR and laying down the vision for regional COEs on AVGC-XR.
The draft policy report stated that the industry needs to employ approximately 2 million individuals by 2030 to sustain its growth. Currently, there are 185,000 professionals employed in the AVGC sector, with another 30,000 indirectly employed. However, most of the programmes offered by various AVGC institutes in India are purely academic in nature. “The aim is to launch AVGC-focused UG and PG courses with standard curriculum and globally recognised degrees. Standardised admission tests for AVGC-related courses via MECAT by MESC,” K Sanjay Murthy, secretary, higher education, ministry of education, said.
The report has also stated that AVGC accelerators and innovation hubs in academic institutions on the lines of Atal Tinkering Labs need to be established.
Moreover, there is a need to establish a dedicated production fund for domestic content creation from across India. Also, it has been recommended to establish special incentives for women entrepreneurs in the AVGC sector. The task force has also recommended starting a ‘create in India’ campaign with an exclusive focus on content creation.