Parliament Question: Promotion of animation, visual effects, gaming, comics and extended reality ecosystem

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF INFORMATION & BROADCASTING RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3916 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27.03.2026 PROMOTION OF ANIMATION, VISUAL EFFECTS, GAMING, COMICS AND EXTENDED REALITY ECOSYSTEM 3916: SHRI SANA SATHISH BABU:

Will the Minister of INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING be pleased to state: a) the financial and technical support provided by the Central Government to States for formulating and implementing Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) policies, including the setting up of Centres of Excellence, incubation hubs and media parks;

b) whether the Ministry has sanctioned or supported any AVGC-XR infrastructure, training institutes or post-production centres in Andhra Pradesh so far; c) steps taken to strengthen Centre-State collaboration for skilling and industry-academia partnerships;

d) the central incentives or funding mechanisms available to promote startups, MSMEs and inclusive growth in AVGC-XR; and e) the manner in which the progress of AVGC-XR initiatives is being monitored across States? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (DR. L. MURUGAN)

(a) to (e) The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had constituted the AVGC Promotion Task Force in April 2022 to formulate a comprehensive strategy and guide policy measures for the growth of the AVGC-XR sector. The Task Force in its report had also prepared a Model State Policy framework, to support States in promoting the AVGC-XR ecosystem.

In a significant step toward making India a global hub for AVGC-XR, the Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of a National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for AVGC-XR. The Centre is named as Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) in Mumbai.

The IICT is envisaged to act as a national hub to facilitate collaboration with States and support capacity building efforts. It helps engagement with institutions that may contribute to the development of regional capabilities and Centres of Excellence in the AVGC sector. The institute is being developed under a hub-and-spoke model to facilitate collaboration with industry, academia and other stakeholders across the country.The IICT collaborates with global technology companies, industry partners and academic institutions. These collaborations are for curriculum development, developing specialised training programmes, research and development, internships, scholarships and startup incubation, thereby strengthening industry-academia partnerships and supporting the development of talent in the AVGC-XR sector.

The institute is attracting students and trainees from various States across the country and fostering a pan-India talent pool in the AVGC-XR domain.

The Ministry regularly conducts workshops, conferences and webinars with States on various issues, including the promotion of the AVGC-XR sector. ******