Orange Economy Gets Boost With Creator Labs

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced a major push for India’s creative industries, described as the “orange economy”, in the Union Budget 2026. The proposals focus on building future-ready creative skills and jobs, especially in fast-growing digital and design-led sectors, as part of India’s broader employment and innovation strategy.

AVGC Sector and Jobs Potential

Sitharaman highlighted that India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics sector is expanding rapidly and is projected to require around 2 million professionals by 2030. The AVGC industry is increasingly seen as a key source of high-quality creative employment, driven by growth in digital media, gaming, streaming platforms, and global demand for content production services.

Content Creator Labs in Schools and Colleges

To build a strong talent pipeline, the Finance Minister proposed support for the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies to set up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges across the country. These labs are expected to provide early exposure to animation, gaming, visual effects, and digital storytelling, helping students acquire industry-relevant skills and encouraging entrepreneurship, startups, and creator-led businesses.

Orange Economy and Economic Survey Insights

The Economic Survey 2025-26 has identified creativity-led sectors such as culture, media, entertainment, and intellectual property as emerging drivers of employment, urban services, and tourism. Termed the “orange economy”, these activities derive value primarily from ideas, artistic expression, and cultural capital. The Survey also flagged the growing potential of the concert economy, while noting challenges such as venue shortages and regulatory hurdles that need to be addressed for scale.

Important Facts for Exams

• AVGC stands for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics.
• Orange economy refers to creativity-led sectors based on ideas and culture.
• Content Creator Labs proposed in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges.
• AVGC sector projected to need about 2 million professionals by 2030.

Design Education Expansion in Eastern India

In addition to AVGC initiatives, Sitharaman announced the establishment of a new National Institute of Design in eastern India. She noted that while India’s design industry is growing rapidly, the country faces a shortage of trained designers. The new institute is expected to strengthen design education, support regional development, and complement the broader push to position creative and design-led industries as engines of sustainable employment growth.