In a definite push towards advancing the creator economy to ensure growth and employment opportunities, India’s federal Cabinet yesterday approved the establishment of the National Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) .

The PM Modi-led government said in an official statement that the NCoE would enhance India’s soft power globally and attract foreign investment by positioning the country as a content hub for providing state-of-the-art content.

The NCoE, as per details provided by Information & Broadcasting Minister Aswini Vaishnav during a briefing in New Delhi yesterday, would be set up as Section 8 (non-profit organisation) under the Companies Act, 2013 in India with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) representing the industry bodies as partners with the Government of India.

AVGC-XR sector today plays an indispensable role in the entire realm of Media and Entertainment, including filmmaking, streaming content, gaming, advertisements and several other areas like health, education and social sectors. With rapidly evolving technology and increasing internet penetration all across the country, coupled with one of the cheapest data rates, the usage of AVGC-XR globally is poised to grow at an exponential pace.

To be set up in the State of Maharashtra, the NCoE will offer specialized training-cum-learning programmes to equip both amateurs and professionals with the latest skillsets in cutting-edge AVGC-XR technologies, apart from imparting other skills.

Not only such an institution will foster R&D and bring together experts from various fields like computer science, engineering, design and art that can lead to major breakthroughs in the field of AVGC-XR, it would also extensively focus on creation of Indian IPs for both domestic consumption and global outreach, overall leading to creation of content based on India’s rich historical and cultural heritage, the statement stressed, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting said.