Union Budget 2026–27: Boost to Orange Economy and Creative Education

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2026–27, announced a series of initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s Orange Economy and expanding access to creative education, with a special emphasis on youth and women.

Key Announcements

• The Budget recognises the rapid expansion of India’s Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) sector, which is projected to require nearly 2 million skilled professionals by 2030.
• To meet this growing demand, the government will extend support to the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai.
• IICT will help establish AVGC Content Creator Labs in:
  • 15,000 secondary schools
  • 500 colleges across the country

Objectives of AVGC Content Creator Labs

• Widen access to creative and digital education
• Equip students with industry-relevant skills
• Open up new career pathways in:
  • Animation
  • Gaming
  • Visual effects
  • Digital storytelling and content creation

Focus on Inclusive Growth

The initiative is designed to:

• Democratise creative education beyond metropolitan centres
• Encourage participation of women and young talent in emerging creative industries
• Support employment generation in high-growth, future-oriented sectors

What is the Orange Economy?

The Orange Economy refers to economic activities driven by:

• Creativity, culture and intellectual property
• Value generated primarily from ideas, knowledge, artistic expression and cultural content, rather than physical goods

It includes sectors such as arts, design, media, entertainment, gaming, animation, and digital content creation.