From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Jul 19: IT and Knowledge capital of India, Karnataka’s capital city of Bengaluru is making strides to emerge as the international hub of Animation, Graphics and Visual Special effects technology with a Centre of Excellence for Animation set to come up soon.
The State Cabinet on Wednesday approved the comprehensive Karnataka Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) Policy 2017--22 to realise the ambitious plans.
The new policy which would be in force till 2022, lays emphasis on giving a big boost for skills development in AVCG, attracting investments and creation of employment opportunities.
"We expect the new policy to create about 20,000 jobs," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters while briefing on the cabinet decisions.
A first of its kind Centre of Excellence for AVCG would be established in the city as envisaged in the policy document in collaboration with Paris based Gobelins, the best Animation School in the world, Karnataka’s IT,BT minister Priyank Kharge said.
The State Government has already set up a Rs 20 crore AVCG fund in accordance with its policy initiative.
"The policy seeks to stimulate at least 100 animation companies for creation of AVCG content through incentives and grants, Financial aid in the form of grants would be provided for companies and skills development institutions to create content, IPs and skills training," Kharge said.
About 120 skills development institutions including Diploma Colleges would be given grants to ramp up their infrastructure and raise the skill level of the man power in the State, he explained.
The policy would also woo international production houses to set up their Indian Centres in the state, with special focus on tier-2 cities in the State taking advantage of the incentives that the policy would offer and the skilled talent that would be made available.
The policy would lay special emphasis on state's fine arts colleges to encourage students to acquire new skills in creating their art work in the digital medium.
Finishing schools would also be set up to make the students industry-ready, the minister said.