Government Unveils Three New Initiatives to Promote ‘Orange Economy’

Recently, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting launched three major initiatives aimed at strengthening India’s media, broadcasting and digital sector and promoting the creative economy.The objective of these launches is to promote the ‘Orange Economy,’ strengthen public broadcasting, and build an AI-skilled workforce in the media and entertainment sector.These initiatives are aimed at building a strong ecosystem for creators while ensuring wider access to quality broadcasting.

National AI Skilling Initiative

¨  Launched by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in partnership with Google and YouTube, to train 15,000 participants from the creative and media sectors.

¨     Objective: To strengthen AI capabilities in areas such as animation, visual effects, gaming, comics (AVGC) and media technology.

¨     Implementing Agency: Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT)

It will be conducted in two phases

¨   Phase I (March–June 2026): Focus on foundational AI learning through Google Career Certificates and Google Cloud Generative AI paths, covering courses like AI Essentials, Prompting Essentials, and Introduction to Generative AI.

¨     Phase II (July–December 2026): Focus on advanced, project-based specialisation for the creative industry, covering storytelling, YouTube best practices, and AI tools like Gemini 3, Nano Banana, Veo, and Vertex AI, with training held in major cities nationwide.

¨    The initiative will support creators, media professionals, students and developers in building future-ready skills and contribute to India’s emergence as a global hub for digital content and innovation.

MyWaves Platform

¨    It is a new feature within the WAVES OTT platform that will enable citizens to create, upload and share content.

¨     It is designed as a structured platform for user-generated content (UGC) that will also support participation in national initiatives such as the Create in India Challenge.

¨     The platform shifts from passive viewing to active participation, enabling creation alongside consumption, supporting formats like short, vertical, and episodic content, with a multilingual interface across Indian languages.

Advanced Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) & In-built Satellite Tuner in Television Sets

¨     It will enable viewers to watch DD Free Dish channels directly on their television sets without the need for a separate set-top box, thereby reducing additional costs, wiring, and the hassle of multiple remotes.

¨ The advanced programme guide enables easy browsing of channels and schedules in one place through a simple interface, improving viewing convenience for households nationwide.

¨  In essence, Prasar Bharati will continue to play a pivotal role in enhancing public broadcasting, while IICT will advance AI skills programs for the creative sector, and WAVES OTT will provide a platform for citizen participation and content creation—including the ‘Create in India’ Challenge.