New Delhi : The government wants more Indian characters and stories on screen. Taking a cue from PM Modi’s ” Make in India” plan, the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry wants to encourage Indian stories and characters through the proposed National Centre of Excellence for gaming, animation and visual arts.
The Centre that is expected to be a training ground for animation, 3D visual effects and gaming is likely to come up soon. The ministry is hoping to rope in Indian artisans and craftsmen in the process. “We are very keen on this project. It has the potential to generate jobs while rejuvenating traditional crafts that have existed for ages,” Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, I&B minister of state, said.
The minister recently met with industry body FICCI to ensure a higher participation by the industry. The ministry wants to ensure that it translates to a good faculty and high job potential. “Industry has to play a vital role in the process,” the minister said.
The size of animation, visual effects and post production industry in India, according to FICCI-KPMG Report 2014, is Rs 39.7 billion in 2013, with a growth of 12.4 per cent in the year 2014. Out of this, the share of animation services and animation production comes to Rs 12.7 billion in 2013. It is projected that the Cumulative Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in animation services and animation production for the period 2013-2018 would be 7.1%.
Currently children’s programs are inundated by Japanese animation with very little indigenous content. However, the popularity of cartoons like Chotta Bheem, Hanuman and Krishna have been encouraging and the ministry hopes to capitalize on it.
The proposal that found a mention in the 2014 budget will ensure increasing ownership of intellectual property by Indians in animation, gaming, visual effect sector leading to increased revenues, employment generation, cultural pay-off and a subtle leveraging of India’s soft power in the global arena.
