CREATE IN INDIA
News: 'Create
in India,' says task force on gaming, animation and VFX
What's in the news?
● The
task force on Animation, Visual effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) has submitted
its recommendations to the Information & Broadcasting Ministry and other
Union Ministries, including those of Skill Development, Education, Electronics
and Information Technology.
Key takeaways:
● 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
AVCC professionals, can witness a growth
of 14-16% in the next decade.
'Create in India' Campaign:
● The
'Create in India' Campaign aims at bringing indigenous content creation,
developing markets for AVGC sector and making aware of India's potential in the
AVGC sector.
Major Recommendations for the AVGC growth:
The
major recommendations of the task force are as follows.
● Domestic
Industry Development for Global Access.
● Developing
Talent ecosystem to realize Demographic Dividends.
● Enhancing
Technology & Financial Viability for Indian AVGC Industry.
● Raising
India’s soft power through Inclusive growth.
1. Content creation:
● The
content creation is an important aspect in the AVGC market. With new consumers entering markets daily,
the content creation needs to be more innovative and attractive to the
customers.
2. International platform:
● International
platform for animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) aimed at
attracting foreign direct investment for the sector.
● The
platform also provides much needed international support for the innovation and technological support
for the industry.
3. Co-production:
● The
co-production treaties and innovation in collaboration with international
counterparts provides the impetus to the sector by supporting investment,
technology, skilled labor force and markets for the sector.
● Memorandum
of Cooperation may be signed between India and other developed global AVGC
markets the U.S., Japan, South Korea and
Germany for providing internships (six months to a year) to Indian AVGC
professionals.
4. Skill development:
● The
task force also suggests the establishment of national and regional centers of
excellence for skill development. This center aims at creating the skilled
labor force for growth of the sector.
● It
will capitulate the demand for 20 lakh
skilled professionals in the AVGC sector in this decade.
● There
is also need to augment skilling initiatives and enhance industry participation
for training purposes and to ensure employment opportunities
5. Align with education:
● The
task force also aimed at leveraging the National
Education Policy to develop creative thinking at school level and asked the
NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) to create books
focusing on subjects relevant to AVGC.
● A
University Grants Commission (UGC)
recognised AVGC curriculum for undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to
give impetus to the AVGC sectors.
● The
task force also proposed standardization of admission tests for AVGC-related
courses.
6. National Mission for AVGC:
● 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 sector.
● Launch
of a ‘Create in India’ campaign with
exclusive focus on content creation, In India, For India & For World.
7. Establishment of hubs:
● The
report has also recommended establishment
of AVGC accelerators and innovation hubs in academic institutions to
visualize the potential of the AVGC sector in India on the lines of Atal
Tinkering Labs.
● Leverage
Start-Up India to provide technical,
financial and market access assistance to AVGC entrepreneurs to promote a
culture of R&D and local IP Creation.
8. MSME participation:
● The
task force also aims for democratizing AVGC technologies by promoting subscription-based pricing models for
micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), start-ups and institutions.
● Enhanced
Ease of Doing Business in AVGC sector
i.e., tax benefits, import duties, curbing piracy, etc.
9. Indigenous development:
● The
task force suggests bringing out indigenous technology development through incentive schemes and Intellectual Property
(IP) creation.
● It
also suggests setting up a dedicated
production fund for domestic content creation from across India to promote
the country's culture and heritage globally.
10. Inclusive development:
● The
task force emphasized skilling and
industry outreach for youth in tier-2 and 3 towns and villages.
● It
also recommends special incentives for women
entrepreneurs in the sector and 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.
Significance of AVGC sector in India:
1. Emerging sector:
● Gaming
as an industry has been gaining popularity in the country in recent years, especially
with the digital push.
● The
global AVGC industry amounts to $800
billion, and the Indian AVGC sector is brimming with the potential to bag
up to 5 percent of the global share ($40
billion).
● Newer
industry developments, such as metaverse and education digitization, could aid
the AVGC sector’s growth in India and prepare it to lead global change.
2. India’s IT prowess:
● India today contributes
about $2.5-3 billion of the estimated
$260-275 billion worldwide AVGC market.
● The
AVGC industry will transform India into a worldwide player in the interactive
entertainment arena, resulting in a high
talent pool of developers and creative artists.
3. Skilled workforce availability:
● According
to industry experts, the Indian market which currently employs about 1.85 lakh
AVGC professionals, can witness a growth
of 14-16% in the next decade.
● The
rise of the start-up sector, together with the promotion of AVGC, will have a
multiplier effect on the economy, resulting in an overall increase in GDP.
4. Employment generation:
● It
creates an abundance of employment opportunities for several skilled sectors,
with over 160,000 jobs that it could provide yearly.
● Young
professionals will have a lot of opportunities in the AVGC sector and new job
prospects will be created for them.
Challenges in AVGC sector:
1. Lack of authentic data:
● Non
availability of data such as employment, industry size, education intuitions,
etc. for AVGC sector, makes decision making tougher for entities.
2. Skill gap:
● Creation
of the AVGC ecosystem within the country requires a workforce with specialized
skills for various roles such as animators, developers, designers, localization
experts, product managers, etc.
● At
present, the education system at school
and university level does not have a dedicated curriculum focused on AVGC.
3. Infrastructure constraints:
● In
the absence of adequate training infrastructure, there is deterioration in the
quality of training being delivered to students, thus impacting the quality of
output and human resources for the AVGC industry.
4. Lack of research and development:
● There
is also a need to develop research related narrative for the AVGC-XR sector, so
that dedicated focus can be given to it.
5. Lack of finance:
● At
present there is no dedicated fund available for the promotion of the AVGC
sector which acts as an obstacle for the growth of the sector in India.
WAY FORWARD:
1. Holistic curriculum:
● Most
of the AVGC related programmes offered by various institutes in India are
academic in nature. Thus, there is a need to develop a holistic curriculum
offering relevant industry programmes.
2. Impetus to be given to R&D:
● R&D
plays a very important role in driving the entire AVGC sector. Therefore,
focused interventions need to be undertaken for the sector.
3. Need to explore the Startup ecosystem of India:
● Aspiring
entrepreneurs not only create various job opportunities but also foster
economic growth of the industry.
● New
inventions and disruptive innovations will enable the Indian AVGC industry to
grow at a faster pace, matching the international standards.