FM Nirmala Sitharaman unveils Content Creator Labs in 15,000 schools and a new National Institute of Design, with the aim of equipping students with digital, creative, and design skills for future careers in India’s booming animation, gaming, and creative sectors
In a Budget session in Parliament on Sunday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled a bold new push to bring digital skills and creative careers into classrooms across India. At the heart of this announcement is a plan to establish Content Creator Laboratories in 15,000 secondary schools and 500 colleges countrywide.
Sitharaman told lawmakers that the government will support the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies, Mumbai, to roll out these labs across the country. The initiative is meant to provide students with hands‑on training and early exposure to new‑age digital skills, blending classroom learning with practical experience. Officials believe that this will help bridge the skills gap in India’s animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) sector, an industry expected to need around two million professionals by 2030.
From learning how to produce digital media to building storytelling and creative tech expertise, the labs are being pitched as a way to turn student curiosity into career pathways that match future job markets. Educators and industry watchers have welcomed the move as a step toward formalising and professionalising content creation education early in students’ lives.
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New design institute announced
Alongside this school‑focused initiative, the Finance Minister also revealed plans to strengthen design education in India. Budget 2026 proposes the establishment of a new National Institute of Design (NID) in eastern India, a region that currently does not host one of these coveted design hubs.
Sitharaman highlighted that while India’s design and creative sectors are expanding rapidly, there is still a shortage of trained designers to meet demand. The new institute is being framed as a way to nurture innovative talent at a high academic level, boosting both the quality and spread of design education.
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Experts have noted that measures like these may help the country position itself as a global hub for creative and technology‑driven industries moving forward.
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