‘Orange Economy’ Gets A Big Push: Budget 2026 Brings Content Creator Labs To Schools And Colleges

India’s creative economy stepped firmly into the national spotlight on Sunday as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled major proposals for the so-called Orange Economy while presenting the Union Budget 2026–27 in Parliament. In her ninth consecutive Budget speech, Sitharaman announced government support for the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai, to set up Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) and Content Creator Labs across 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges nationwide. The move signals a clear policy shift, recognising creativity, culture and digital storytelling as serious economic drivers rather than fringe pursuits.

What Is The Orange Economy?

The Orange Economy refers to sectors that derive value from ideas, artistic expression and cultural capital, instead of traditional physical goods. It includes media, entertainment, design, animation, gaming, comics, intellectual property and now, increasingly, the creator economy.

According to the Economic Survey 2025–26, creativity-led sectors have the potential to generate large-scale employment, strengthen urban services and boost tourism. The Budget builds directly on this thinking, placing creative industries within India’s broader growth strategy.

AVGC Sector: A Jobs Engine In The Making

During her speech, Sitharaman highlighted that India’s AVGC sector is projected to require nearly 2 million professionals by 2030, underlining the urgent need for structured training and early exposure.

By introducing AVGC and content creator labs inside classrooms, the government aims to:

• Equip students with hands-on skills in animation, VFX, gaming and digital storytelling
• Create a pipeline of talent aligned with industry demand
• Democratise access to creative technology beyond metros

For students, this could mean learning tools and workflows that were earlier limited to private institutes or expensive courses.

Creativity Meets Technology In Budget 2026

The Orange Economy push also ties into the Budget’s larger focus on emerging technologies and AI. Sitharaman outlined that fulfilling the second kartavya, empowering citizens and building their capabilities, requires technology to be accessible to all, including youth eager to upskill.

Key initiatives referenced alongside this vision include:

• The AI Mission
• National Quantum Mission
• Anusandhan National Research Fund
• Research, Development and Innovation Fund

Together, these initiatives aim to ensure that creative talent is supported by cutting-edge technology, not left behind by it.

Education, Inclusion And Viksit Bharat

The Finance Minister framed the Orange Economy within three broader kartavyas: accelerating growth, empowering citizens and ensuring equitable access to resources. Measures announced across manufacturing, MSMEs, infrastructure and city economic regions were positioned as complementary to creativity-led growth.

By embedding creative tech labs into schools and colleges, the Budget brings the Orange Economy directly into classrooms, aligning education with India’s vision of Viksit Bharat.

For digital artists, animators, gamers, filmmakers and aspiring content creators, Budget 2026 marks a moment of validation. Creativity is no longer seen as a side hustle or passion project, but as a scalable, employment-generating sector backed by policy and public investment.

As India’s creator and AVGC ecosystems continue to grow, this move could shape the next generation of storytellers, designers and innovators, starting not in studios, but in classrooms across the country.