The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on Friday announced that in pursuance of the announcement made by the Finance Minister in her budget speech, the government had set up an AVGC promotion task force.

“To further unleash the scope of AVGC sector, an announcement was made in the Union Budget 2022-23 for setting up an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) promotion task force to recommend ways to realise and build domestic capacity for serving our markets and the global demand,” a press release from MIB read. 

The AVGC Promotion Task Force comprises of bureaucrats and industry professionals and will submit its first action plan within 90 days.

The AVGC Promotion Task Force is headed by secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and will have secretaries of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade. 

The AVGC Promotion Task Force also includes State Governments of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana; heads of education bodies such as All India Council of Technical Education, National Council of Educational Research and Training and representatives of industry bodies-MESC, FICCI and CII.

From the industry, the executives from  Zynga, Shah Rukh Khan owned Red Chillies, Hungama Digital, Technicolor found the place among others. 

The terms of reference of the task force include – framing of a national AVGC policy, recommend national curriculum framework for graduation, post-graduation and doctoral courses in AVGC related sectors, facilitate skilling initiatives in collaboration with academic institutions, vocational training centers and industry, boost employment opportunities, facilitate promotion and market development activities to extend global reach of Indian AVGC industry, as well as enhance exports and recommend incentives to attract FDI in AVGC sector.  

The mobile gaming market in India alone is projected to hit a $5 billion opportunity by 2025 from the current $1.5 billion, according to a recent Sequoia India and Boston Consulting Group report