Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has revealed plans to establish a task force aimed at promoting Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) to harness the potential within the animation and gaming sector.
During her Union Budget speech, the FM highlighted the vast potential for employment among the youth in the animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics sector. She announced the formation of an AVGC promotion task force that will include all stakeholders to suggest ways to tap into this potential and enhance domestic capacity to meet both domestic and global demand.
Paavan Nanda, Co-founder of WinZO, commended the government’s decision to establish an AVGC task force, emphasizing the significant potential of the gaming industry, which is on track to becoming a trillion-dollar industry. He welcomed the government’s acknowledgment of this sector’s exponential potential. WinZO, as a leading game tech company, expressed its willingness to collaborate with public stakeholders to attract top talent to this growing industry.
Earlier, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur had announced the government’s plan to set up a National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. This initiative aims to create a world-class talent pool in India to meet the demands of both the Indian and global industries.
Commenting on the budget, Punit Goenka, MD & CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., expressed positivity about the holistic focus on broad-based economic recovery and job creation. He noted that the steps taken to build domestic capacity in the AVGC segment would enhance capabilities and allow the country to compete more effectively on the global stage. Goenka also welcomed the extension of the credit line guarantee scheme, providing relief to sectors impacted by the pandemic.
