Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Sanjay Jaju, today said the government is committed to encouraging talent and providing support to those in the gaming, animation, and entertainment sectors. He said that the government has set up the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) as a national centre of excellence in this direction. Addressing a press conference on the sidelines of the India Game Developer Conference (IGDC) on its opening day in Hyderabad, he said the institute will operate under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, with a 52 per cent stake held by FICCI and CII, and 48 per cent by the Government of India. He also mentioned that the Maharashtra government has allocated land for the setting up of IICT to provide skill training to enthusiasts in the sector. He pointed out that India’s share in the global media and entertainment industry is currently only 2 per cent, while there is ample scope for growth at 20 per cent per annum. He further said that a few regional centres, including one in Hyderabad, will also be set up to encourage entrepreneurship and enhance employment in the gaming sector.

He also said that over 230 local private FM radio channels in towns with a population of over one lakh are being auctioned, with the entire process expected to be completed by the end of January next year. Many of these cities are in Telangana as well.

Mr. Jaju also informed that Prasar Bharati’s own OTT platform will be launched at the inauguration of IFFI in Goa on the 20th of this month. He described it as a convergent platform for broadcasting, radio, live channels, animation, gaming, new media, and films, marking the first-ever convergent event to bring all media and entertainment sectors together.