NEW DELHI: India’s creative sector is on the cusp of a transformative era with the announcement of the ‘Create in India’ mission, aimed at elevating the nation’s orange economy to global prominence.
Announced by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, this initiative seeks to leverage India’s digital prowess and youthful talent to drive economic expansion over the next quarter-century. As the country positions itself as a preferred hub for creativity, the mission integrates policy, skilling, and infrastructure to foster innovation in media, entertainment, and beyond.
Understanding the Orange Economy: Creativity as an Economic Driver
The orange economy, often referred to as the creative or cultural economy, encompasses industries such as animation, gaming, visual effects, music, film, and digital content creation. It represents the intersection of culture, creativity, and technology, generating employment and entrepreneurial opportunities particularly for the youth.
In India, this sector is seen as a vital engine for economic diversification. According to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report, India’s creators currently influence over $350 billion in consumer spending annually, a figure expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030. The government views it as a means to blend soft power with hard economic gains, emphasizing “Create in India, Create for the World” as a guiding vision to enhance global influence and sustainability.
The Announcement: A Milestone at the AI Impact Summit 2026
On February 16, 2026, during his address at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw declared, “India will soon launch a ‘Create in India’ mission to strengthen its Orange Economy in an attempt to position the country as the world’s preferred creative hub, and power the next 25 years of growth.”
He underscored the role of India’s robust digital infrastructure and skilled workforce in fueling the rapidly expanding creator economy. This mission, modeled on other sectoral programs, is designed to be industry-oriented, employment-focused, and future-ready, with objectives including:
•strengthening existing creative industries •attracting global creators,
•building a talent pipeline for sustained progress.
Building on Recent Initiatives: From WAVES to Content Creator Labs
The ‘Create in India’ mission builds upon foundational efforts like the World Audio Visual Entertainment Summit (WAVES), which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2025 and continued into 2026. WAVES aimed to address gaps in financing, skilling, and global outreach for the orange economy, aligning with the theme “Create in India, Create for the World.”
A key component was the Create in India Challenge (CIC), a nationwide talent hunt spanning 33 categories including animation, gaming, AR/VR, and music, which garnered over one lakh registrations from India and abroad.
Additionally, the Union Budget 2026-27 allocated resources for the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), facilitating the establishment of content creation labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges nationwide to bridge education and industry demands.
AI’s Role: Enhancement Tool or Disruptive Force?
At the AI Impact Summit, a fireside chat between Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Charles Rivkin, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, titled “Rewarding Our Creative Future in the Age of AI,” highlighted both AI’s potential to amplify human innovation and the risks of rapid disruption. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw emphasized AI-led upskilling to build a robust talent pipeline for global media industries, asserting that AI should serve as a complementary tool rather than a competitor to human creativity.
He stated, “If creators are given the opportunity to deploy their skills, protect their copyrights, and safeguard the roots of their creative energy, then the growth between today and tomorrow will be significant. AI can then be used as a tool.”
Vaishnaw reiterated that AI must enhance, not replace, human roles, noting, “AI should not become a competitor to human creativity.”
The government is pursuing a balanced techno-legal framework to protect copyrights, jobs, and trust while harnessing AI for innovation. Vaishnaw described the AI-copyright interface as “very, very complex” and emphasized building national and global consensus to ensure AI empowers creators without eroding their rights. This includes ongoing dialogues with over 30 countries on solutions for challenges like deepfakes, with calls for strict regulations such as watermarking AI-generated content to preserve authenticity.
Showcasing Innovation: WAVES Creators Corner at India AI Impact Expo
Coinciding with the mission announcement, the India AI Impact Expo (February 16-20, 2026, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi) features the WAVES Creators Corner, where 51 startups from AVGC-XR and media tech are showcasing AI-powered innovations. Supported by WaveX incubation, this platform highlights India’s emerging media ecosystem and attracts global attention.
Government Policies and Stakeholder Engagement
In a Rajya Sabha reply on February 6, 2026, Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated that the government recognizes the creative economy as “a major source of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for India’s youth.” Policy measures focus on integrating creativity, culture, and technology into a sustainable growth engine, while ensuring a safe digital ecosystem.
High-level stakeholder consultations, organized by the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, to operationalized IICT’s rollout, positioning India as a global hub for the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics (AVGC) sector. These labs will equip students with AI-led skilling to power the next wave of creative jobs, as highlighted by Vaishnaw at the AI Impact Summit.
Economic Impact and Future Outlook
The mission is poised to generate significant employment in emerging digital and media sectors, with Vaishnaw noting at the summit that AI integration will enhance, rather than replace.
By fostering content creator labs and talent hunts, India aims to diversify its economy beyond traditional sectors, India’s creator economy is projected to influence over $1 trillion in annual consumer spending creator economy by 2030, driven by 2-2.5 million dollar active creators.
As Prime Minister Modi remarked during WAVES 2025, “This is the time of dawn of Orange Economy in India,” signaling a new phase of cultural and economic renaissance.
With ongoing investments in infrastructure and global partnerships, the ‘Create in India’ mission could solidify India’s role as an innovation leader, blending tradition with cutting-edge technology for worldwide impact.
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