‘Create in India Challenge' participants at WAVES to get jobs and career help
NEW DELHI: The Centre is working on a comprehensive roadmap to help the participants of the 'Create in India Challenge', a highlight of the World Audio Visual and Entertainment Summit (WAVES), secure employment and career opportunities. This initiative signals a strong push to nurture creative talent in sectors such as animation, comics, AI, extended reality, gaming, and music in India.
The government will be holding discussions with leading industry associations and organisations, which hosted 32 challenges covering a wide range of disciplines including animation, filmmaking, gaming, music, and visual arts in the run up to the event.
During the inaugural edition of WAVES in May, around 750 finalists were invited to exhibit their projects and skills at 'Creatosphere', a specially designed platform to highlight cutting-edge innovation and creativity in India's media and entertainment landscape.
'A roadmap is being worked out to ensure the winners of CIC get gainful employment or regular jobs. The government will help them to showcase or sell their content. It will be checked whether Intellectual property (IP) rights can be generated for their content. The efforts are also being made to see if the companies can offer them employment opportunities,' said sources.
According to the industry representatives, the initiative will take WAVES to the next level as envisioned by PM Narendra Modi. Comparing the WAVES to global events, Modi termed it a great opportunity to showcase India's creative talent to the world.
Some have also suggested nominating brand ambassadors for the Summit expected to be held in February and start a fellowship programme focused on expanding its reach and impact. Though the discussions are at nascent stage, one of the few possibilities to showcase creative talent of CIC winners is to arrange their participation in international events like roadshows.
'To build excitement, several smaller state-level related events can be organised. They can be permanent verticals of the WAVES. Suggestions are also being sought from associations and industry on how to boost their confidence,' said sources.
The flagship initiative of WAVES, the CIC garnered significant traction nationwide and globally, with 32 challenges, including Truth Tell Hackathon, Comics Creator Championship, Esports Tournament, Trailer Making Competition and Anime Challenge for which the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) received nearly one lakh registration including over 1,100 international entries from 60 countries.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Gujarat Electronics Component Manufacturing Policy aims to reduce import dependency
Ahmedabad, Jun 22 (PTI) Incentives for projects approved by MeitY, quick disbursal of assistance and reducing import dependency by attracting over ₹ 35,000 crore in new investments are among the prominent features of the Gujarat Electronics Component Manufacturing Policy-2025. The policy, which aims to transform Gujarat into a global hub for electronics manufacturing, was unveiled by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday. The policy states that projects approved and supported by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) will be eligible for 100 per cent Central assistance when established in Gujarat. Projects approved by the MeitY will receive incentives from both the Centre and the state government through a single approval and incentive assistance will disbursed within 30 days, a government release stated. "This means MeitY-approved projects set up in the state will receive dual incentive benefits from the Central and Gujarat governments," it said. Aligned with the Union government's Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), the policy ensures "a 100 per cent top-up on Central support while guaranteeing timely disbursement of assistance. "Once a project is approved under the ECMS from MeitY, it will automatically become eligible for the same grant-in-aid in Gujarat. The state government will disburse its incentive within 30 days of the Centre releasing the assistance," the release said. The policy aims to reduce dependence on imports and improve technological resilience by attracting over ₹ 35,000 crore in new investments. It aims to create substantial high-skilled employment opportunities within the state's electronics component manufacturing sector. The policy hopes to boost investment in key segments, such as multi-layer and HDI printed circuit boards, lithium-ion cells, SMD passive components, display and camera modules, electronic parts, and the additional machinery for their production. "The policy's core focus is to bridge the talent gap, promote innovation, and offer support for research and development initiatives, with the recognised Gujarat-based institutions being eligible for assistance of up to ₹ 12.5 crore to establish centres of excellence, finishing schools, or applied research laboratories," the release stated. The policy aims to establish Gujarat as a prominent player in global electronics supply chains by promoting the manufacturing of local electronic components and sub-assembly production, reducing import dependency, and boosting exports, which will drive product value growth in global electronics value chains (GVCs). The Government of India (GoI) guidelines mandate the submission of applications to avail of the benefits of this policy by July 31, 2025. All MeitY-approved projects operating in Gujarat will automatically become eligible for availing of the policy benefits along with developing or proposed projects for incentives. The government said only the units other than those receiving assistance under Gujarat Electronics Policy 2022-28 will be eligible for benefits under this policy, and those availing benefits under this policy will not qualify under the Gujarat Electronics Policy.
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
From the Opinions Editor: India needs a well thought out trade strategy, but first it needs a China strategy
Dear Express Reader Over the past 11 years, the Narendra Modi government has taken several steps to shore up the economic momentum, and put the country on a higher growth trajectory. But, despite its efforts to ensure macroeconomic stability, revive private sector investments and boost household consumption, growth has been less than spectacular. Between 2014-15 and 2024-25, the economy grew at an average of just 6.2 per cent. Now, in its third term, whether pushed by Donald Trump's tariff war or the imperatives of growth, the government is making a determined effort to sew up trade agreements, hoping they will help embed the country into global supply chains, catalyse exports, and push up growth. A trade deal has been struck with the UK, and talks are proceeding with the US and the EU, with many of the issues that have previously held back these agreements being either resolved or sidestepped. These agreements will ensure greater market access and bring down tariffs, improving competitiveness of exports. But the question is: Will these trade deals be enough? Can they alone facilitate India's deep integration with global supply chains? Can the country emerge as a major production hub without integrating more closely with the supply chains that run through South and East Asia which form a vital part of global production systems? The case of Apple is instructive. The dramatic scaling up of the Apple ecosystem in the country — the company has recently said that iPhones sold in the US market will be mostly sourced from India — is a remarkable development. It is a consequence of both the government's production linked incentive scheme and the firm wanting to diversify its production bases away from China. Now, Apple provides a supplier list — a list that represents 98 per cent of the company's direct spend for materials, manufacturing and assembly of its products worldwide. This would include suppliers not only those involved in the production of the iPhone but also in other Apple products. As per this list, in 2023, 156 of the company's suppliers had manufacturing locations in China, 42 suppliers were located in Japan, 35 in Vietnam and 33 in South Korea, and 14 in India. Two years later the numbers would have changed slightly — as per a recent report there are now more than 20 component suppliers in India — but, they would still point towards the centrality of South and East Asia, and China in particular, to the global production system — a fact that cannot be ignored. If India wants to be a part of the production chain of other Apple products and grab a greater share of the value addition in the production process, it would need the smooth flow of components/materials into the country and more component manufacturers to be located here. And therein lies India's conundrum. What is India's China strategy? Should the country also be a part of RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) and CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership)? In 2019, India chose not to be part of RCEP — the trade agreement that spans China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the 10 ASEAN member states (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). The decision to not join was in large part attributed to concerns over China. But the trade relationship with China has only deepened since. And that is the reality, contrary to the desire of reducing the dependence on China. In 2018-19, before India withdrew from RCEP, its trade deficit with China stood at $53.5 billion. By 2024-25, it had surged to $99.2 billion, without RCEP. India, though, is not alone. Even as the US has tried to reduce its reliance on China, its deficit with the country, though it has declined in recent years, stood at a staggering $295 billion in 2024. And this does not account for rerouting of exports through other countries. But, it's not just about companies like Apple. The issue around rare earth minerals — used in a range of sectors such as smartphones, TVs, EV cars, solar panels and jet engines — underlines China's centrality to the global production system. This reality cannot be wished away. China accounts for 90 per cent of global processing of rare earths. With the country placing restrictions on its exports, EV manufacturers in India have reportedly sought the government's intervention in the matter. If these supplies continue to be restricted, India's EV push, and thus its efforts in shifting towards a cleaner vehicle fleet, risk being affected. And that won't be the only sector that is likely to be impacted. There are some reports which suggest that the government has raised the issue of export curbs on rare earth minerals and magnets with China. But it's not just India. Even the US has been affected. In fact, one of the key aspects of the US-China agreement that was announced by Donald Trump is the upfront export of full magnets, and any necessary rare earths by China. It is difficult to see companies move their production to India on the scale that is needed for the country to emerge as a manufacturing powerhouse unless they can be sure of stable trade relations, of supply chains working smoothly, of the seamless movement of components/personnel from other jurisdictions. India needs a well thought out trade strategy. The lack of clarity partly explains the sluggish pace of investments in the country by domestic as well as foreign firms — both of whom seem to be more inclined to invest in other jurisdictions presumably because the risk-return matrix is not as favourable in India. A clear strategy should give these firms the confidence needed to invest in the country. Take care, Ishan
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
Google used YouTube's video library to train its most powerful AI tool yet: Report
Google used thousands of YouTube videos to train its latest Gemini and Veo 3 models, even as most creators remain unaware of their content being used for AI training purposes. Veo 3 is the tech giant's most advanced AI video generation model that was unveiled at this year's I/O developer conference. It is capable of generating realistic, cinematic-level videos with complete sound and even dialogue. And Google leveraged a subset of the 20-billion catalogue of YouTube videos to train these cutting-edge AI tools, according to a report by CNBC. While it is unclear which of the 20 billion videos on YouTube were used for AI training, Google said that it honours agreements with creators and media companies. 'We've always used YouTube content to make our products better, and this hasn't changed with the advent of AI. We also recognize the need for guardrails, which is why we've invested in robust protections that allow creators to protect their image and likeness in the AI era — something we're committed to continuing.' a company spokesperson was quoted as saying. Creators have the option to block companies like Amazon, Nvidia, and Apple from using their content for AI training. But they do not have the choice to opt out when it comes to Google. While YouTube has previously shared all of this information, many creators and media organisations are yet to fully understand that Google is allowed to train its AI models on YouTube's video library. YouTube's Terms of Service state that 'by providing Content to the Service, you grant to YouTube a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable and transferable license to use that Content.' YouTube content could be used to 'improve the product experience … including through machine learning and AI applications,' the company further said in a blog post published in September 2024. Independent creators have raised concerns that their content is being used to train AI models that could eventually compete with or replace them. AI-generated content also leads to the rise of other models that could compete with human creators who have said that they are neither credited nor compensated for their contributions. Last week, The Walt Disney Company and Comcast's Universal said that they have filed a copyright lawsuit against Midjourney, accusing the AI image generator of unlawfully copying and distributing their most iconic characters. Describing the tool as a 'bottomless pit of plagiarism,' the studios alleged that Midjourney recreated and monetised copyrighted figures without permission. Days later, the AI research lab rolled out its first-ever text-to-video generation model called V1. According to Midjourney, V1 can be used to convert images into five-second AI-generated video clips. Users can also upload images or use an AI-generated image by Midjourney to animate the image.
