New Delhi, 18 September (H.S.): The Union Cabinet chaired by the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the establishment of the National

Centre of Excellence (NCoE) for Animation, Visual Effects,

Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR) as a Section 8 Company

under the Companies Act, 2013 in India with Federation of Indian Chambers of

Commerce & Industry and Confederation of Indian Industry representing the

industry bodies as partners with the Government of India.

The NCoE will be set up in Mumbai and is in pursuance to the Union Minister for Finance and Corporate

Affairs’ budget announcement for 2022-23 for setting up of an AVGC Task Force

in the country.

AVGC-XR sector today plays an

indispensable role in the entire realm of Media and Entertainment including

filmmaking, ‘Over The Top’ (OTT) platforms, gaming, advertisements and several

other areas including health, education and other social sectors thereby

encompassing the overall structure of the country’s growth story.

With rapidly

evolving technology and increasing internet penetration all across the country,

coupled with one of the cheapest data rates, the usage of AVGC-XR globally is

poised to grow at an exponential pace.

To keep up with this brisk pace, the

National Centre of Excellence is being established to act as the pinnacle

institution to anchor the AVGC-XR ecosystem in the country. Along with offering

specialized training-cum-learning programs to equip both amateurs and

professionals with the latest skill sets in cutting-edge AVGC-XR technologies,

this NCoE will also foster research and development and

will bring together experts from various fields like computer science,

engineering, design and art that can lead to major breakthroughs in the field

of AVGC-XR.

This National Centre of Excellence

will also extensively focus on creation of India’s IP for both domestic

consumption and global outreach, overall leading to creation of content based

on India’s rich historical and cultural heritage. Further, the NCoE will

function as an incubation centre by providing resources for nurturing startups

and early-stage companies in the AVGC-XR field. Also, NCoE will serve not only

as an academic accelerator but also a production/ industry accelerator.

By positioning this NCoE as the

driving force for the growth of AVGC-XR industry it will serve as one of the

biggest sources of employment for the youth from all parts of the country. This

will give an enormous push to the creative arts and design sector and make

India the hub for AVGC-XR activities furthering the goals of the Atmanirbhar

Bharat Initiative.

The NCoE for AVGC-XR will also

position India as a content hub for providing state-of-the-art

content thereby enhancing India’s soft power globally

and attracting foreign investment into the Media &

Entertainment Sector.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Nimish kumar