Govt Launches 3 Initiatives for Orange Economy

• 25 Mar 2026

Source: PIB 

Why in News? 

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has launched 3 transformative initiatives—the National AI Skilling Initiative, MyWAVES, and Advanced EPG (Electronic Program Guide) with in-built satellite tuners—to strengthen India’s Orange economy and democratize access to digital technology. 

• These steps reflect a strategic move to build a future-ready workforce and position India as a global hub for digital content and innovation. 

What are the 3 Transformative Initiatives Taken to Promote the Orange Economy? 

• National AI Skilling Initiative: A public-private partnership between the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Google, and YouTube aimed at training 15,000 professionals in the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics) sector. It is being implemented through the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai. 
  • Phase I (March–June 2026): Focuses on foundational AI learning at scale via Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud Generative AI learning paths, covering essentials like prompting and AI leadership. 
  • Phase II (July–December 2026): Shifts to advanced, hands-on project-based specialization utilizing high-end tools such as Gemini 3, Nano Banana, Veo, and Vertex AI to master digital storytelling. 
• MyWAVES Platform: A new feature on the WAVES OTT platform that transitions users from passive viewers to active creators, supporting User-Generated Content (UGC) in multiple Indian languages. 
  • It is designed to align with the Create in India Challenge(CIC), providing a structured ecosystem for local storytellers to showcase regional diversity. 
    • CIC hosts dozens of competitions across various themes, such as the Anime Challenge, AI Film Making, Comics Creator Championship, Truth Tell Hackathon (to combat misinformation), and XR Creator Hackathon to empower India's creator economy. 
• Advanced EPG with In-built Satellite Tuners in TVs: It allows for DD Free Dish access without a set-top box, significantly improving reach in remote areas and reducing hardware costs.

What is the Orange Economy?

• About: The Orange Economy, also known as the Creative Economy, refers to a production model where value is derived primarily from intellectual property, creativity, and cultural capital rather than physical manufacturing or natural resources.  
• Key Sectors: It includes AVGC-XR (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality), film, music, fashion, design, advertising, performing arts, and cultural tourism. 
• Economic Impact:  
  • Global: Accounts for approximately 3% of global GDP and 30 million jobs. 
  • India: India's entertainment and media revenue is projected to climb from USD 35.3 billion in 2025 to USD 47.2 billion by 2029. 
• Budget 2026-27 Focus: The government recently announced the establishment of AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 schools and 500 colleges to prepare a workforce of 2 million professionals by 2030. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. What is the Orange Economy? 
The Orange Economy is a production model where value is derived from intellectual property, creativity, and cultural capital. 

2. What are the three transformative initiatives for the Orange Economy? 
The three initiatives are: (1) National AI Skilling Initiative, (2) MyWAVES Platform, and (3) Advanced EPG with in-built satellite tuners in TVs. 

3. What is the target of the National AI Skilling Initiative? 
It aims to train 15,000 youths free of cost. Phase I covers foundational AI learning, while Phase II focuses on advanced, project-based specialization. 

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ)  

Q. Consider the following: (2022) 

1. Aarogya Setu
2. CoWIN
3. DigiLocker
4. DIKSHA

Which of the above are built on top of open-source digital platforms?  

(a) 1 and 2 only    

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only    

(c) 1, 3 and 4 only    

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4    

Ans: (d)