Govt to provide ₹250 Cr support for content creator labs in 15K schools, 500 colleges, says FM Nirmala Sitharaman

The Centre will support the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai, in building Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her budget speech on Sunday.

FM Nirmala Sitharaman announces content creator labs 

The government will provide ₹250 crore for setting up these labs, she added. Sitharaman said India’s AVGC is a booming industry projected to require two million professionals by 2030.

“I propose to support the IICT Mumbai in setting up AVCG content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools all over the country and 500 colleges,” she said.

IICT is India’s first institution for creative technology on the lines of the Indian Institutes of Technology and the Indian Institutes of Management.

In July 2025, the Maharashtra government launched a satellite campus of IICT at National Film and Development Corporation (NFDC)’s Peddar Road premises in Mumbai, offering 18 industry-driven courses in the AVGC-XR sector, with support from the Centre.

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has allocated ₹250 crore under the new central sector scheme ‘Talent Development in Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Sector.’

“The provision is to promote India and its youth as leaders in content creation by setting up AVGC content creator labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges,” the ministry said in its notes on demands for grants for the financial year 2026-2027.

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “There is no dearth of quality in creativity and art in our country. The creator labs in schools will prove to be very effective in promoting creativity among students.”

Experts said industry linkage will be required for maintaining the quality of the content creator labs.

The Budget outlined plans to back states in developing five university townships near major industrial and logistics corridors. These integrated academic zones will contain multiple universities, colleges, research institutions, skill centres and residential facilities, making higher education more closely connected to industry requirements.

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