‘Orange Economy’: FM Sitharaman proposes content creator labs in schools, colleges

NEW DELHI: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday proposed a strong support for India’s creative industries or ‘orange economy’ to create future-ready creative jobs.

Sitharaman said that India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector is a rapidly growing industry and is projected to require 2 million professionals by 2030.

“I propose to support the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai, in setting up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges, Sitharaman said while presenting the Union Budget for 2026-27. This move is expected to boost India’s next-generation creator workforce, powering jobs, startups, etc.

Watch Live: Smt @nsitharaman presents Union Budget 2026–27 in Parliament #ViksitBharatBudget @sansad_tv @PIB_India https://t.co/DieMezvgTp

— Nirmala Sitharaman Office (@nsitharamanoffc) February 1, 2026

The Economic Survey 2025-26 too had noted that creativity-led sectors including culture, media, entertainment and intellectual property can emerge as significant drivers of employment, urban services and tourism. Termed the “Orange Economy”, these activities derive value primarily from ideas, artistic expression and cultural capital.

India’s Economic Survey 2025-26 identified the concert economy’s potential to boost urban services, tourism, and employment, while also noting existing bottlenecks like venue shortages and regulatory hurdles that need addressing for India to scale up this sector.

Meanwhile, Sitharaman further in her Budget speech said that Indian Design industry is expanding rapidly and proposed establishment of a new National Institute of Design to boost design education and development in the eastern region of India.

She noted that while India’s design industry is expanding rapidly, the country continues to face a shortage of trained designers.

Animation and gaming industry gets budget boost with content creator labs nationwide

Sitharaman said the Centre plans to support the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai, in setting up Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges nationwide.

The move is aimed at preparing young Indians for careers in a sector projected to need two million professionals by 2030. “India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics AVGC sector is a growing industry,” the Finance Minister said, underlining the need for early exposure and structured training to meet future workforce demands.

The proposed labs are expected to focus on hands-on learning and skill development aligned with industry requirements. The announcement places the AVGC sector firmly within the government’s broader vision of “Viksit Bharat” (Developed India), the central theme of the Budget presented on Sunday, February 1, 2026.

The Budget speech highlighted infrastructure expansion, strategic manufacturing, and education reforms as key pillars of long-term growth.

In a related push to strengthen creative and design education, Sitharaman also announced that a new National Institute of Design will be established in Eastern India through a challenge-based route. The initiative aims to address the rising demand in the Indian design industry and expand access to high-quality design education.

Beyond creative industries, the Budget outlined plans to support states in developing five university townships near major industrial and logistics corridors. These integrated academic zones will house multiple universities, colleges, research institutions, skill centres and residential facilities, linking higher education more closely to industry needs.

Rs 20,000 crore outlay for carbon capture technologies

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed an outlay of Rs 20,000 crores over the next five years for Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) technologies to scale up and increase readiness in end-use applications.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman also proposed a Coconut Promotion Scheme aimed at increasing production and improving productivity to boost India’s competitiveness in coconut cultivation. Sitharaman said the scheme will focus on major coconut-growing states and include measures such as replacing nonproductive trees with high-yielding saplings.

“To further enhance competitiveness in coconut production, I propose a coconut promotion scheme to increase production and enhance productivity through various interventions, including replacing non-productive trees with new saplings or plants of varieties in major coconut-growing states,” Sitharaman said.

India ranks among the world’s leading coconut producers, accounting for roughly 31% of global production. An estimated over 90 per cent of India’s coconut cultivation is done in the southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Around 30 million people, including nearly 10 million farmers, depend on coconut cultivation for their livelihoods.

In the Union Budget 2026-27, Sitharaman reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the coconut sector. She also proposed in the Budget, a dedicated programme for Indian cashew and cocoa with the objective of making India self-reliant in raw cashew and coconut production and processing, while enhancing export competitiveness.

“A dedicated program is proposed for Indian cashew and cocoa to make India self-reliant in raw cashew and coconut production and processing, enhance export competitiveness and transform Indian cashew and Indian cocoa into premium global brands by 2030,” Sitharaman said.

She asserted that sandalwood is closely linked to India’s social and cultural heritage. Our government will partner with state governments to promote focused cultivation and post-harvest processing to restore the glory of the Indian sandalwood ecosystem.

“Sandalwood is closely linked to India’s social and cultural heritage. Our government will partner with state governments to promote focused cultivation and post-harvest processing to restore the glory of the Indian sandalwood ecosystem,” Sitharaman said. (ANI)