Delhi: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Tuesday organized the First National Workshop and Consultation on Draft AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comics - Extended Reality) Policies at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi, said an official statement.
The event was conducted for professionals in the industry, academia & the government. There was forthcoming participation from several Government bodies of both Centre & State levels related to AVGC, along with the industry associations & industry leaders of the AVGC sector.
Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of I&B and Chairman AVGC Taskforce, inaugurated the workshop. He spoke about the Ministry's efforts to strengthen the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming & Comics - Extended Reality) sector in India and emphasised that the States also put in their best efforts to benefit from the growth of the AVGC sector.
Secretary, Ministry of I&B, in his inaugural address, spoke about multiple enablers of the AVGC sector, with Education and Skilling being among the sector's core pillars.
The Secretary said, "AVGC sector has witnessed unprecedented growth rate in recent times and is expected to grow exponentially in the coming decade. It is imperative to give the right kind of exposure to our 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."
Underlining the scope of the industry in the future Chandra said, "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 added, noting that major movies in Hollywood today involve skill and manpower from India."
He also laid emphasis on the need for stakeholders to work together to ensure the provision of the right kind of skilling infrastructure to the talent in this sector, the statement said.
He further highlighted the role of States in fulfilling the AVGC dream of the country. "The role of the States in magnifying the efforts and mobilizing the resources necessary to promote the sector is paramount."
The Secretary stressed establishing Regional Centers for Excellence and noted the steps taken by Karnataka in this direction with a number of startups already part of the Center.
Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, explained the need for facilitating future-ready skilling in the sector, for making India a go-to hub in the AVGC space. He also highlighted the significance of establishing robust physical infrastructure that would aid in the learning and development of a student.
The MSDE has identified that the skilling initiative will be critical to the growth of the AVGC sector and is committed to making the best efforts to provide the skilling ecosystem.
"Some lighthouse States of AVGC shared their learnings and best practices during the course of the workshop, which is envisaged to provide guidance to other states, including helping them in drafting state-level AVGC policies. The sessions covered during the workshop are envisioned to help states gain clarity on various aspects of the State AVGC policy, thereby enabling them in drafting state-level policies", reads the statement.
According to the statement, representatives of various leading companies and industry bodies working in the M&E and AVGC-XR space participated in the workshop and shared their insights on promoting the sector in the country.
The statement further added that this National Workshop was organized with the primary objective of disseminating the Model State policy to the States for its customization & adoption. It also provided a platform for discussions on the Draft National Policy to align it to the needs of its stakeholders. Further, the workshop witnessed a session showcasing the best practices being followed for promoting the AVGC sector by certain States, the statement said.
"The AVGC Promotion Task Force was constituted under the Chairmanship of the Secretary, Ministry of I & B, Apurva Chandra. It submitted its report in December 2022, which has been adopted as the guidance document for steps to be taken. It also has a Draft of National Policy & Model Policy for the States", the statement said.