Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, visited the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) at the NFDC Complex in Mumbai yesterday to review the institute’s expansion plans and assess its role in strengthening India’s creative ecosystem.

According to a government press release issued yesterday, Jaju chaired a review meeting attended by board members and industry representatives, where discussions focused on scaling IICT’s academic programmes, infrastructure and industry collaborations in line with the growing demands of the digital and creative economy. He emphasised that IICT must emerge as a leading hub for nurturing creative talent and incubating startups in the media and entertainment sector.

Highlighting the institute’s current progress, Jaju noted that around 150 students have already begun their programmes, with a target to scale up to 400 students by July. He added that IICT is also fostering entrepreneurship, with 11 startups currently being incubated and a goal of supporting 20 startups in physical mode along with several more virtually. He further informed that a larger campus is planned at Film City, Goregaon, with classes expected to commence there by 2028.

The discussions also covered emerging areas such as gaming, visual effects (VFX) and content creation labs, which were announced in the Union Budget. Jaju pointed out that these initiatives are aligned with the broader vision of strengthening India’s “Orange Economy”, which aims to connect nearly two million individuals with content creation and creative industries.

A key highlight of the visit was the proposal to establish content creator labs across 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges nationwide. The initiative is designed to promote digital creativity, enhance media literacy and equip students with skills relevant to the fast-growing creator economy.

During his visit, Jaju toured IICT’s production and post-production facilities, training programmes and innovation hubs, and interacted with faculty and board members. The institute currently offers 18 specialised courses spanning animation, gaming, post-production and extended reality, including long-term diploma programmes as well as short-term certifications in areas such as 3D design, virtual reality filmmaking, e-sports management and AI in filmmaking.

On the sidelines of the visit, Jaju also toured the National Museum of Indian Cinema, where he interacted with a visiting group of school students.

The visit reflects the Ministry’s continued focus on strengthening institutional frameworks and promoting digital creativity as India’s media and entertainment sector continues to expand.