Express News Service
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) has constituted an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Promotion Task Force.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced to set up of the force in February during the budget speech, to suggest ways to markets and global demand.
The secretary of I&B will head the task force, which will submit its first action plan within 90 days.
“The creation of an AVGC Promotion Task Force with the participation of Government of India, State Governments and key industry players will provide focused thrust for the growth of the sector by driving the institutional efforts to guide the policies of growth for this sector, establish standards for AVGC education in India, actively collaborate with industry and international AVGC institutes, and enhance the global positioning of the Indian AVGC industry,” said the ministry on Friday.
The Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) sector in India has the potential to become the torchbearer of ‘Create in India’ & ‘Brand India’, said the ministry.
“India has the potential to capture 5 percent (40 billion dollars) of the global market share by the year 2025, with an annual growth of around 25-30 percent and creating over 1,60,000 new jobs annually,” it added.
Besides framing a national AVGC policy, the task force will recommend a national curriculum framework for Graduation, Post-Graduation and Doctoral courses in AVGC related sectors.
It will also facilitate skilling initiatives in collaboration with academic institutions, vocational training centers and industry, which will, in turn, boost employment opportunities.
According to the term and references of the panel, the Force will facilitate promotion and market development activities to extend the global reach of the Indian AVGC Industry, enhance exports and recommend incentives to attract FDI in the AVGC sector.
The other members of the force are secretaries of ministries– skill development and entrepreneurship, education, electronics and information technology and departments like promotion of industry and internal trade.
The Task Force also includes state governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana; heads of education bodies such as the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), and representatives of industry bodies – Media and Entertainment Skill Council (MESC), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry(FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) including industry stakeholders.
