India aims to raise its share in the global Orange Economy from about 3 percent to 12-15 percent over the next decade, with the Indian Institute of Creative Technology (IICT) working towards that goal, institute’s board member Dr Ashish Kulkarni said yesterday.

Speaking at the Press Information Bureau’s one-day media workshop ‘Varta’ (dialogue) on ‘Creating a Future Ready Workforce for India’s Creative Economy’ in Nagpur, Kulkarni said filmmakers, digital content creators and other creative professionals were contributing significantly to India’s position in the global creative economy.

“At present, India contributes around 3 percent to the global Orange Economy, and the country aims to increase this share to 12-15 percent over the next decade. The Indian Institute of Creative Technology is working towards achieving this goal,” he said.

Highlighting India’s storytelling heritage and indigenous knowledge systems, Kulkarni said this knowledge was now being showcased globally through digital content across multiple platforms.

Kulkarni announced that IICT, in collaboration with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), will introduce the ‘Kaushal Bodh’ curriculum to nurture creativity and develop skills among students from an early age.

He also said there is a proposal to establish AVGC Content Creator Labs in 500 colleges and 15,000 schools across the country — an initiative that had been announced earlier by the government.

According to Kulkarni, IICT has been functioning as the National Centre of Excellence for the AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality) sector since July 2025 from the National Film Development Corporation complex in Mumbai.

The institute will offer skill-based courses in AVGC-XR through a hub-and-spoke model, extending programmes to regional and semi-urban centres in addition to its Mumbai headquarters.

“Various Ministries of the Government of India, along with film and creative institutions, are developing customised courses to meet the evolving needs of the creative sector, thereby creating new opportunities for skill development and capacity building,” he said.

The workshop was organised by the Press Information Bureau, an unit under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. It was chaired by Smita Vats Sharma, Director General (West Zone), MIB, who also briefed participants on various initiatives of the ministry.

Senior editors and representatives of media organisations attended the programme.