Need to build complete ecosystems for AVGC sector: I&B Secretary Sanjay Jaju

NEW DELHI: India needs to build complete ecosystems for the Animation, VFX, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector and steps in that direction will be taken in the next six months, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Sanjay Jaju said on Wednesday.

Addressing the CII Summit FX 2024, Jaju said moves were afoot to implement the recommendations made in the report of the AVGC Taskforce, including setting up of a National Mission on AVGC to help India emerge as the content hub of the world.

“We need to build complete ecosystems where high-end content is produced and taken across the world to create economic and employment potential on a large scale,” Jaju said.

He said India has made strides towards making the AVGC sector global and establishing itself as a design leader.

“We are not just consumers but also creators of entertainment,” he said.

Jaju and Skill and Entrepreneurship Ministry Secretary Atul Kumar Tiwari also released a report ‘FX & Beyond: Shaping India’s AVGC Landscape: An Immersive Media Experience’.

Jaju said the National Mission on AVGC can bring in all these activities required for industry development, technology development, and skills development and create a conducive environment and financial viability for the segment to produce in India at scale which can be taken across the world.

The report suggested the creation of a National AVGC-XR Mission and a mission statement that would outline the future roadmap for the AVGC sector in India will help provide a vision for the industry.

“It must clearly be able to answer how we want to market and brand our content uniquely so that it appeals to the global market,” the report said.

The report also demands a reduction in import duty on essential equipment and technology as it can further support the growth of the AVGC sector by making advanced tools more accessible and affordable.

It stated that with the rise of OTT platforms and more democratised content, curbing piracy in the media and entertainment sector was crucial.

“New content forms on OTT and streaming platforms are easy piracy targets. Preventing software piracy is also vital in the AVGC sector, which relies on specialised software for production and content creation. “While the National Draft Policy Framework addresses this, special legislation is needed for effective prevention,” it said. (PTI)