Like planting pixels in classrooms, the Union Budget has sketched a blueprint where imagination meets industry.
Budget Boost for a Creative Future
The Centre will back the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai, in setting up Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) content creator labs across 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during her budget speech on Sunday. The government will provide ₹250 crore to support the initiative, positioning it as a major push toward building a skilled creative workforce.
Highlighting the sector’s growth potential, Sitharaman said India’s AVGC industry is expected to require two million professionals by 2030. “I propose to support the IICT Mumbai in setting up AVCG content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools all over the country and 500 colleges,” she said. The move aligns education with emerging employment needs, placing creative technology alongside more traditional skill-building pathways.
IICT is India’s first institute dedicated to creative technology, designed on the lines of the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management. In July 2025, the Maharashtra government, with support from the Centre, launched a satellite campus of IICT at the National Film and Development Corporation’s Peddar Road premises in Mumbai. The campus offers 18 industry-driven courses focused on the AVGC-XR sector.
Talent, Teachers and Industry Ties
The Union ministry of information and broadcasting has earmarked ₹250 crore for the initiative under a new central sector scheme titled ‘Talent Development in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Sector.’ “The provision is to promote India and its youth as leaders in content creation by setting up AVGC content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges,” the ministry noted in its demands for grants for 2026–27.
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan welcomed the announcement, saying, “There is no dearth of quality in creativity and art in our country. The creator labs in schools will prove to be very effective in promoting creativity among students.”
However, experts caution that scale must be matched with substance. Educationist Ramya Venkataraman stressed the need for strong industry linkages and trained educators. “But ensuring the quality of these labs will require strong focus on both industry linkage and teacher quality. Industry partnership will be a prerequisite for lab funding and requiring certified teachers,” she said.
If nurtured well, these labs could become the studios where India’s next creative revolution is rendered frame by frame.
Summary
The Centre has announced ₹250 crore support for IICT Mumbai to establish AVGC content creator labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges. Aimed at meeting the industry’s growing demand for skilled professionals, the initiative has been welcomed by ministers, though experts stress the importance of industry partnerships and trained teachers to ensure quality.
