India’s Union Budget 2026 boosts AVGC “Orange Economy” push, but esports leaders say competitive gaming is still overlooked

The government will back IICT Mumbai to roll out AVGC Content Creator Labs across 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges, while the budget speech does not explicitly mention esports—prompting calls for clearer policy pathways for competitive gaming.

India’s Union Budget 2026–27 has put fresh emphasis on the creative “Orange Economy,” naming Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) as a fast-growing industry and projecting demand for 2 million professionals by 2030.

In her budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government will support the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT), Mumbai to set up AVGC Content Creator Labs in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges—a talent pipeline move that officials framed as part of India’s wider push in emerging technologies and digital skills.

However, esports organisations and executives note that while “gaming” appears inside AVGC, competitive esports is not directly addressed in the budget speech or the headline announcements—leaving the sector to argue that it still lacks a clear, dedicated policy lane compared with other parts of the creative economy.

Industry commentary around the budget has welcomed the skilling focus but urged policymakers to explicitly include esports in national frameworks—so tournaments, teams, player development, and integrity standards are treated as part of the formal growth agenda rather than an adjacent outcome.