“Create in India” signals next phase of digital ambition

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TLDR

Ashwini Vaishnaw has announced that the Government of India will soon launch a “Create in India” mission aimed at strengthening the country’s creative economy. The initiative is expected to boost content creation, media, entertainment, gaming, and digital innovation while positioning India as a global content hub. The mission aligns with the government’s broader push to expand India’s digital and creator ecosystem alongside manufacturing-led initiatives like Make in India.

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India’s economic narrative has long been anchored in manufacturing and services. Now, the government is preparing to formalise its ambitions for the creative economy.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said that a “Create in India” mission will be launched soon, aimed at catalysing India’s media, entertainment, and digital content sectors. The move reflects growing recognition that intellectual property, storytelling, gaming, animation, and digital-first formats are becoming as strategically important as physical exports.

“India has extraordinary creative talent,” Vaishnaw noted, underscoring the country’s ability to produce content not just for domestic audiences but for global markets. He suggested that structured policy support could unlock significantly greater scale and global competitiveness.

The proposed mission is expected to build institutional backing for creators, studios, gaming developers, and technology platforms. It may also dovetail with broader digital public infrastructure efforts and India’s startup ecosystem push, encouraging entrepreneurship in areas such as AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming and comics), influencer-led commerce, and digital storytelling.

India’s media and entertainment sector has been expanding steadily, powered by streaming platforms, short-form video, vernacular content growth, and a young, mobile-first population. However, fragmentation, limited global distribution leverage, and uneven monetisation remain challenges. A coordinated national framework could improve funding access, training pipelines, global co-production partnerships, and export incentives.

The mission’s timing is strategic. As global streaming markets mature and content supply chains diversify beyond traditional Western hubs, India has an opportunity to scale as a cost-effective, culturally rich production centre. Policymakers appear keen to ensure that Indian intellectual property captures greater long-term value rather than serving only as outsourced production capacity.

The broader implication is economic positioning. Just as “Make in India” sought to embed India in global manufacturing value chains, “Create in India” aims to embed the country in global cultural and digital value chains.

If executed effectively, the mission could redefine India not only as a technology services powerhouse, but as a global exporter of stories, formats and digital experiences.