National AVGC-XR Mission

Topic- Indian Economy [GS Paper-3]

Context- The Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) Task Force has called for a National AVGC-XR Mission.

Key Highlights 

• • The Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Promotion Task Force report has been submitted to the government for its consideration.
  • Draft national and State policies for the promotion of the sector have been submitted by the Task Force.
  • The report envisages the creation of a budgetary outlay for integrated promotion & growth of the AVGC sector. 
  • “Create in India” campaign: 
    • Among the suggestions of the Task Force are a “Create in India” campaign. 
  • The campaign will have an exclusive focus on following fields such as
    • Content creation; 
    • An international AVGC platform aimed at attracting foreign direct investment, 
    • Co-production treaties and innovation in collaboration with international counterparts; 
    • National and regional centres of excellence for skill development; and 
    • Leveraging National Education Policy to develop creative thinking at school level. 
  • The Ministry of Education may advise NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training) to create books focusing on subjects relevant to AVGC.
  • There is also a need to augment skilling initiatives and enhance industry participation for training purposes and to ensure employment opportunities.
  • Memorandum of Cooperation may be signed between India and other developed global AVGC markets like U.S., Japan, South Korea, Germany, for providing internships (six months to a year) to Indian AVGC professionals.
  • The report has recommended: 
    • Establishment of AVGC accelerators and innovation hubs in academic institutions; 
    • Democratising AVGC technologies by promoting subscription-based pricing models for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), 
    • Start-ups and institutions; 
    • Indigenous technology development through incentive schemes and Intellectual Property creation; and 
    • Setting up a dedicated production fund for domestic content creation from across India to promote the country’s culture and heritage globally.

• Inclusive growth & child rights: 

• • The report noted that there should be special incentives for women entrepreneurs in the sector and promotion of local children’s channels for raising awareness on the rich culture and history of India among children and youth. 
  • It suggested the establishment of a framework to ensure protection of child rights in the digital world.

Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comic (AVGC) Sector

• • India’s media and entertainment sector has long been asking for some kind of legitimacy for the gaming and related industries.
  • Growth:
    • The AVGC sectors, and especially the gaming industry has been witnessing healthy growth over the past seven years 
    • It is also hoped that with proper impetus, could soon become a world leader. 
  • Skills:
    • The content creation part of gaming needed high skills and the government wanted to focus on that through the task force. 
    • India could become the content creation factory of the world in this sector.

• Economic potential:

• • As per the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), India has the potential to capture 5% ($40 billion) of the global market share by the year 2025, with an annual growth of around 25-30% and creating over 1,60,000 new jobs annually.
• Employment:
  • According to industry experts, the Indian market that currently employs about 1.85 lakh AVGC professionals, can witness a growth of 14-16% in the next decade.

Significance of National AVGC-Extended Reality Mission

• • Mission is expected to accomplish the following scopes such as
    • Boosting employment opportunities; 
    • Helping in the promotion and market development activities to extend global reach of Indian industry; 
    • Enhancing exports and recommending incentives to attract foreign direct investment in the sector. 

• Opening doors for further employment:

• • • There is a vast scope of employment for the youth in the gaming industry, Esports or Video Games is a versatile industry and there is a huge scope for professional gamers as well as other jobs like casters, commentators, and other support staff appointed by the esports tournaments like producers, editors, analysts, product managers, game testers, referees, production crew members, event managers, social media managers, etc.

• Need of Regulations:

• • • A progressive tax regime, predictable regulatory framework and supportive funding policies will allow the industry to compete on the global stage. 

• Skilling & rural potential:

• • There is also a need to introduce children to the skills related to the sector at an early age in schools. 
  • Rural India provides a fertile ground for talent in the sector. 
• Role of 5G:
  • 5G can further promote the latest innovations and mass adoption of technologies such as cloud gaming in the country.

Way Ahead

• With a renewed focus on the AVGC sector, blended financing for deep tech and IT, hardware and electronics manufacturing combined with deployment of 5G and affordable internet in underserved areas, it is also clear that the government is committed to take the Indian startup ecosystem to the next level.

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