Govt constitutes AVGC Promotion Task Force with MIB Secretary as Head

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has constituted an Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) Promotion Task Force to promote the AVGC sector in the country. The AVGC Promotion Task Force will have to submit its first action plan within 90 days.

The Task Force’s formation is as per the announcement made in Union Budget 2022-23 that spoke of 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.

The AVGC Promotion Task Force shall be headed by the Secretary, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, and will have Secretaries of the 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 Task Force will also have participation from the industry. Some of the names include Biren Ghosh, Country Head, Technicolor India; Ashish Kulkarni, Founder, Punaryug Artvision Pvt. Ltd.; Jesh Krishna Murthy, Founder and CEO Anibrain; Keitan Yadav, COO, and VFX Producer, Redchillies VFX; Chaitanya Chinchlikar, Chief Technology Officer, Whistling Woods International; Kishore Kichili, Sr. Vice President and Country Head, Zynga India; and Neeraj Roy, Managing Director, and CEO of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment.

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

• The Terms of Reference of the Task Force include the following:
• Framing of a national AVGC policy,
• Recommend a 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 & Industry,
• Boost employment opportunities,
• Facilitate promotion and market development activities to extend the global reach of the Indian AVGC Industry,
• Enhance exports and recommend incentives to attract FDI in the AVGC sector.

The MIB said that the creation of an AVGC Promotion Task Force with the participation of the Government of India, State Governments, and key industry players will provide a focused thrust for the growth of the sector by driving the institutional efforts to guide the policies of growth for this sector, establish standards for AVGC education in India, actively collaborate with industry and international AVGC institutes, and enhance the global positioning of the Indian AVGC industry.

It further stated that the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comic (AVGC) sector in India has the potential to become the torchbearer of “Create in India” & “Brand India”.